Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2019. Read them in this 11th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
Contributed by Stan Lowe, Global Chief Information Security Officer, Zscaler
Security Threats and Trends Predictions for 2019
All the amazing technologies such as IoT and 5G have had an impact on how cybersecurity practitioners and the industry as a whole view the threat landscape. I believe that in 2019 we will see larger numbers of attacks by more devices, that are more sophisticated with more damaging effects than ever before. This will lead business to push back aggressively their cyber spend, causing the cyber industry to realize our customers can’t keep throwing good money after bad trying to implement numerous complex point solutions and will result in seismic shakeup in the security industry.
Specific attacks targeting cloud applications will increase. As more workloads, such as Office 365 and Work Day, move data to the cloud hackers will start to craft new attacks specific to those apps. We’ll begin seeing hackers utilize special exploits to gain access to the application itself rather than just user data.
There will be an increase of state employed hackers “moonlighting” with organized criminal elements. State-employed InfoSec pros are moonlighting as hackers-for-hires within criminal organizations all over the world. This trend is especially prevalent in Russia, where government employees who are paid poorly, can earn extra income working for powerful and sophisticated criminal networks with ties to the government.
There will be a substantial increase in IoT system exploits and botnet recruitment. As the number of IoT devices rise and we deploy 5G to connect everything, we’re going to see a huge increase in the use of IoT devices for DDoS attacks, phishing, ransomware and cryptomining. Reaper was an example of the power of IoT devices and with the addition of 5G and increased compute power the risk is only going to grow.
We’re going to see a consolidation of the security market into ecosystems. There is an immense amount of complexity that companies must deal with when trying to secure the network. In an attempt to reduce complexity, drive down costs, and own a larger share of the pie, we’re going to start seeing consolidation in the security market. We’re already seeing it start in 2018. Much as we saw in the OS market, single vendors will be vying to become one-stop security stops.
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About the Author
Stan Lowe, a cybersecurity and technology executive, has successfully led transformational change in large, complex environments, as well as small and mid-size cybersecurity and IT organizations. As Zscaler Global Chief Information Security Officer, Stan oversees the security of the Zscaler enterprise and works with the product and operations groups to ensure that Zscaler products and services are secure. Part of his focus is to work with customers to help them fully utilize Zscaler services and realize the maximum return on their investment.
Prior to joining Zscaler, Stan served as the VP & Global Chief Information Security Officer for PerkinElmer, where he was responsible for global enterprise security and privacy. He has also been a Cyber Security Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton. Stan has extensive federal experience, serving as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer, and Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, as well as Deputy Director of the Department of Defense/VA Interagency Program Office. Before joining the VA, Stan served as Chief Information Officer of the Federal Trade Commission. Stan’s public service record extends to the U.S. Department of Interior in the Bureau, the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General, and the U.S. Navy.
