Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks recently released its cybersecurity predictions for 2023. As per Palo Alto Networks’ latest ‘What’s Next in Cyber Survey,’ almost all APAC respondents admitted their organisation experienced cybersecurity incidents and data breaches in the past year, 11 on average.
In India, 48 percent of organisations experienced at least 3-9 cybersecurity incidents or data breaches in 2022. Cybersecurity is an urgent concern in India, with 46 percent of companies saying their boards' recognition of cyber risk has increased significantly alongside accelerated digitisation strategies.
Here are the five cybersecurity trends to watch out for in 2023:
Accelerated 5G adoption will deepen vulnerabilities
5G connections in India are expected to reach 88 million by 2025, according to a recent report by GSMA. While the spotlight is currently focused on delivering higher data speeds, latency improvements, and the overall functional redesign of mobile networks, the cloud will expose the 5G core to cloud security vulnerabilities. With only 14 percent of Indian organisations equipped with a plan for securing their 5G/4G environment, CISOs (chief information security officers) will need to be wary of large-scale attacks originating from any source, including the operator's own network.
Securing connected medical devices will be critical
Digitisation has enabled new healthcare capabilities such as virtual healthcare and remote diagnosis. But the prevalence of legacy and sensitive data will make healthcare an attractive target for cyber threat actors. Ensuring the cybersecurity of medical IoT will be important as ever for patient safety as the closer a patient is to a device, the greater the likelihood of weaponisation by bad actors.
Cloud supply chain attacks will disrupt businesses
Log4J recently demonstrated how many organisations can be affected due to a piece of dependent code embedded into the software packaging process. Cloud-native architectures, that are also consuming third-party code in their critical applications, will render the entire cloud supply chain vulnerable. As per Palo Alto, 37 percent of organisations expect software supply chain attacks to increase most in 2023 and cloud adoption trends will intensify this further. Forty four percent of Indian organisations expect software supply chain attacks to increase in 2023.
Also Read: Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital suffers cyber attack even as AIIMS server remains down for 11th day
The debate on data sovereignty will intensify
As the world becomes more reliant on data and digital information, the volume of regulations and legislation emanating from a desire to control and protect citizens and ensure the continued availability of critical services will increase. As a result, the conversations around data localisation and data sovereignty will likely intensify in 2023.
Metaverse to be the new playground for cybercriminals
With an estimated $54 billion spent on virtual goods every year, the metaverse could open up a new playground for cybercriminals. The immersive nature of the metaverse will unlock new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike, as it will allow buyers and sellers to connect in a new way. Companies, and cyber attackers in tandem, will take advantage of mixed reality experiences to diversify their offerings and cater to the needs of consumers in the metaverse.
