By David Canellos, President & CEO of Ericom Software

6 Software Predictions: In 2020 Enterprises will Put Trust in Zero Trust Security

As we approach the new year, it is time to reflect on 2019. This year, we started to see the Zero Trust Security model rapidly gain traction by enterprises looking to effectively combat the stealthy and highly sophisticated cyberthreats they face across their IT environments. We will continue to see leading enterprises embrace innovative prevention techniques that will bolster their security posture and keep their operations and data secure. Unfortunately, we will also likely see cybercriminals step up their game as well. As we look ahead, here are six predictions we believe will come to fruition in the new year:

• Two major events will be in the headlines for the wrong reasons.
• The vast array of IT networks supporting the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the US Elections in November will experience unprecedented levels of sophisticated cyberattacks. We will witness some instances where cybercriminals will target data, and other instances where cybercriminals will look to disrupt activity, such as tampering with election systems used to tally statewide vote totals or hacking computer networks used to operate Olympic events. It's doubtful we will see any significant security improvements in time for these upcoming events.
  

• 50% of successful enterprise breaches will be linked back to employee missteps on the web.
• In the upcoming year, 50% of successful enterprise breaches will be tracked back to an employee's interaction with the web that allowed the hacker to gain access to their network. Cybercriminals will continue to refine their approach of using the web to wreak havoc on enterprises by getting employees to click on and interact with seemingly innocuous content that hides stealthy malware designed to compromise their networks and exfiltrate sensitive data. Despite all of the training, social engineering techniques and sophisticated phishing scams will continue to engage users and keep security response teams jumping.
  

• Enterprises will further embrace Zero Trust Security.
• Zero Trust Security will continue to gain momentum in the enterprise because of the pragmatic blueprint it offers companies to dramatically improve their security. As they adopt this approach, enterprises will ramp up the implementation of advanced identity and authorization tools, micro-segmentation, and Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) capabilities to improve remote access security. Technologies like Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) and SDP will play a key role in preventing threats targeting vulnerabilities in current remote access security solutions like VPNs and firewalls.
  

• At least seven other states will follow California's lead on enacting data privacy legislation.
• With the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) coming into effect in January 2020, we anticipate other states will follow suit. Regulations on data privacy and security will become more stringent and consumers will have the ability to sue companies that violate privacy tenants, regardless of whether there has been a breach or not.
  

• Demand for bring your own device (BYOD) environments will reach a crescendo.
• The push by users, employees, and contractors, to use their own personal unmanaged devices to access corporate systems will escalate even further. As a result, security professionals and IT staff will look to new solutions that can secure unmanaged devices without the use of agents, like RBI and SDP, to add protection without impacting the users' personal devices.
  

• Utilities and critical infrastructure will move up the target list for hackers.
• This past November, it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that multiple utilities were targeted in a phishing campaign. The utilities were unaware until they had been told by the FBI. In 2020, expect even more smaller utilities to be targeted as hackers look to exploit vulnerabilities in their cybersecurity infrastructures. 

About the Author

David Canellos has more than 20 years of high-technology experience gained at early stage, venture-backed startups, and medium and large corporate organizations. Before coming to Ericom, Mr. Canellos was SVP of Global Service Providers business for Symantec. Prior to that, David was the President and CEO of Perspecsys Inc., which was acquired by Blue Coat Systems, which was subsequently acquired by Symantec. His previous position was SVP Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Irdeto, a division of Naspers. David joined Irdeto through the acquisition of Cloakware, where he held the role of President and COO. Prior to joining Cloakware, David held a variety of executive, sales leadership and business development positions within the IT industry. Mr. Canellos holds a B.Sc. in Biology and MA in International Transactions from George Mason University.