Jan/Feb 19 - ChannelVision Magazine

Cyber Patrol Flawless Phishes, Monetization and Intelligence A look at cybersecurity in 2019 By Brian Pinnock Will we see the EU government forcing U.S. data centers to hand over data? Will the European Union issue its first major fines for organiza- tions in contravention of its General Data Protection Regulation? Will our growing dependence on social media expose us to unwanted risks as our accounts become compromised? The World Economic Forum recently placed cybersecurity as the fifth biggest global risk for doing business, with 19 countries ranking it as their number one concern, including 14 in Europe and North America, as well as Japan, India, Indonesia, Singapore and the UAE. As the political climate around the world continues to create volatility, growing numbers of connected global citizens will turn to the internet to have their message heard. The growth in connected devices – from consumer wearables to industrial IoT to medical devices – is compounding the security challenge as each device represents a potential cybersecurity risk. Here, we take a global look at some of the key developments we expect to see on the cybersecurity front in 2019. Top Perceived Risks of Doing Business, North America 1. Cyberattacks 2. Data fraud or theft 3. Extreme weather events 4. Fiscal crises 5. Energy price shock 6. Asset bubble 7. Failure of critical infrastructure 8. Failure of urban planning 9. Terrorist attack 10. Failure of climate change adaption Source: World Economic Forum More effective, not different Throughout 2019, the most insidi- ous development won’t be new attack types but rather improved execution of existing attack types, especially those delivered via email. Better social engi- neering, more advanced phishing at- tacks, increases in credential stuffing attacks, and more complicated mal- ware with multiple stages and different form factors for transmission will make threats incredibly tricky to detect. Phishing techniques such as the use of homoglyphs, elongated URLs, the use of legitimate certifications (green lock) and credential-harvesting sites will increase. Flawless phishes will continue to prey on the gap in human firewalls, pivoting internally around organizations and intensify- ing efforts to better educate all staff. Cybersecurity awareness training, which according to a global Mimecast and Vanson Bourne study, is only continuously conducted by 11 percent of global organisations, will receive W hat lies ahead for companies, governments and individuals regarding cybersecurity in 2019? 26 Channel Vision | January - February, 2019