Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2021. Read them in this 13th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Cybersecurity in the “New Normal”
By Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist, at VMware Carbon Black
While the 2020 threat landscape has been extremely challenging and volatile, the time has come for security professionals to prepare for what’s to come as we look to 2021. Already we are seeing new security products and advancements hit the market to help better protect and fight against tomorrow’s threats. Based on the trends we have seen in 2020 thus far, we can expect personal devices to be a widely sought-after target by malicious actors as the majority of the workforce remains at home. Adding to the complexity and sensitivity of today’s threat landscape, we can expect cybercriminals to continue to exploit healthcare organizations as the race for a COVID-19 vaccine continues, with hackers looking to access valuable data associated with the pandemic.
VMware Carbon Black’s Modern Bank Heists report found that 82% of surveyed organizations felt cybercriminals have become more sophisticated, leveraging highly targeted social engineering attacks and advanced TTPs for hiding malicious activity. Although the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks may seem daunting, it is important to remain confident in the security systems put in place but continue to reevaluate security postures to stay one step ahead of attackers. Here are three cybersecurity predictions that I believe will impact the industry in 2021 and beyond.
Defender confidence is on the rise: In 2020, the disruption caused by COVID-19 put organizations’ security posture to the test and exposed areas of weakness that can be attributed to the overnight digital transformation many organizations had to implement. But while much of the focus has been on cybersecurity challenges of 2020, there hasn’t been enough emphasis on the security tools and processes that are working. Defender technology, whether geared towards endpoint, network or the application layer, is doing the job it is designed to do, and that’s no small feat.
In 2021, we’ll continue to see security teams being empowered and working closely with leaders in the organization. As IT and security continue to work together to enable business continuity, we’ll see the narrative around the two teams working poorly together quickly fade into the background. More tools geared towards end-users will come to light, also contributing to less friction between security and IT departments.
Mobile devices will be highly targeted: Cybercriminals for the last few years generally worked to infiltrate an organization’s network. This is because once they were able to gain access, they could easily execute a ransomware attack that affected the entire network, causing downtime and eventually a surrender and ransomware payout. However, the art of penetrating into these secure networks takes time, resources and expertise, which hackers continue to prove they have. But, with a remote workforce comes new challenges as employees use personal devices to review sensitive information and work. At no fault of their own, employees that are working remotely create new vulnerabilities as mobile devices are much easier for attackers to exploit.
In 2021, we will see cybercriminals become more sophisticated in how they attack our mobile devices, ultimately executing island-hopping scenarios. If hackers can get into your Android or iPhone, they’ll then be able to enter your work network whether it’s deactivating VPNs or breaking down firewalls. We will see companies roll out new mobile device policies and infrastructure to allow employees to continue working remotely but with greater awareness of the risks these devices pose and how to protect themselves and the organization at large. Additionally, a critical part of these policies will center around software updates and patches, ensuring that all personal devices are up to date in order to fend off attackers who have already figured out how to hack into previous software versions.
Healthcare security will change drastically: It’s no secret that healthcare is one of the industries that was immensely disrupted as a result of COVID-19. Routine appointments and all other non-emergency services were converted into telehealth appointments, bringing patient data outside of the hospital’s four walls. A lot of healthcare providers are now accessing patient personally identifiable information (PII) data in remote settings, presenting a number of privacy and security issues since home and public networks are much more vulnerable to malicious actors than corporate networks.
In 2021, we will continue to see cybercriminals exploit these newly created security vulnerabilities, which could potentially impact millions of patient records and data. Data that cybercriminals are likely to sell on the dark web. With that said, I do believe that healthcare organizations are being heard around the severity of risk they are facing as both patient data and intellectual property become golden opportunities for cybercriminals. Therefore, we will see increased IT and security budgets for these organizations to arm themselves with the necessary tools to combat heightened threats.
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About the Author
Rick McElroy, Principal Cybersecurity Strategist at VMware Carbon Black, has 20 years of information security experience educating and advising organizations on reducing their risk posture and tackling tough security challenges. He has held security positions with the U.S. Department of Defense, and in several industries including retail, insurance, entertainment, cloud computing, and higher education.
McElroy’s experience ranges from performing penetration testing to building and leading security programs. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Information Security Manager (CSIM), and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC). As a United States Marine, McElroy’s work included physical security and counterterrorism services. His current role takes him all over the world working organizations to improve their security strategies and speaking on security and privacy.
