Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2023.  Read them in this 15th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

The Forecast for Security Teams

By Jeremy Ventura, Director, Security Strategy, Field CISO, ThreatX

2022 has seen a year full of security challenges impacting everything from infrastructure, to IoT, to financial systems, and more. Supply chain attacks surged and the increased use of AI continued to expose sensitive data. As we look ahead, it's safe to assume that 2023 will be no different - cybercriminals are getting smarter, and attacks are evolving rapidly. But with the right security strategy and tools, organizations across all industries can combat the growing attack landscape. Here is my list of 2023 predictions for security teams to consider as they map out another year of cybersecurity strategies.

Security teams will need to do more with less

CISOs are transitioning away from adopting the "next big thing" in technology, and instead focusing on ensuring that the tools they currently have are adequate. In 2023, organizations will have to prioritize and re-evaluate their solution strategy so that it's mapped to the areas that provide the greatest ROI for the businesses. Teams will have to double down on the investments they have already made and choose how and where to spend funding wisely. To remain protected, these teams will have to shift investments to ensure fundamental cyber hygiene is met - ultimately doing more with less.

As we have seen in the previous year, cybersecurity is not immune to the macroeconomic climate. Budget cuts and reallocation of funding are expected. We continue to see layoffs in some of the largest tech companies in the world. There will be extra scrutiny on how well our teams implement the tools they purchase. With the looming economic recession, organizations are going to restructure their systems, and we'll also see investment in longer-term partnerships with vendors. To justify to stakeholders why they need certain tools, companies should consider implementing two to three-year relationships with vendors, rather than the previously typical one-year.

The velocity of cyberattacks will stay the same, but get more sophisticated

While many attack strategies will stay the same, cybercriminals are likely to increase their focus on specific industries when deploying attacks. Education, manufacturing and healthcare organizations are still increasingly being targeted due to the sensitive information they hold but also because traditionally they are struggling for resources. In addition, 2022 saw an increase in bot activity and attacks on the supply chain, and these should continue into the new year. To combat this, organizations need to revisit the fundamentals of cybersecurity. Conducting security awareness trainings, staying on top of simulations, testing to make sure internal teams are prepared when an attack hit- all of these processes are the basic procedures that will help protect systems from attacks. Organizations need to double down on the infrastructure and people within their company to ensure they are prepared for the next threat.

A rise in managed service security programs

Investing in and establishing strong relationships with MSSPs is going to be more essential than ever. Organizations should spend time ensuring these services are secure and determining the value that these programs add to an organization. Instead of attempting to manage security threats coming from every direction, organizations should invest in a security partner that can give security professionals the time to focus on mitigating the larger attacks. Remember, these partnerships are an extension of the organization.

Conclusion

While there is no way to predict what the next big cyberattack will be, historical trends show that the first half of the year is when attacks are at their most intense. Organizations should ask: how do we prepare the business for that inevitable breach? Do we have visibility into our endpoints? Are we regularly updating and patching our systems? Do we know who owns/has access to which assets?

In addition, security leaders need to do their due diligence in keeping policies and procedures up to date, conducting security training, and making sure their organization is prepared for the next thing that can and most likely will happen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeremy Ventura is a cybersecurity professional, specializing in advising organizations on information security best practices. He has years of experience in vulnerability management, email security, incident response and security center operations. At ThreatX, he is responsible for the development and presentation of thought leadership across all areas of cybersecurity. Ventura is an industry leader that can regularly be seen in media, blog posts, podcasts and at speaking events. Previously, Ventura has worked at Gong, Mimecast, Tenable and IBM, among other security organizations. Ventura holds a Master's Degree in Cybersecurity and Homeland Security.