Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2022. Read them in this 14th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
What’s to Expect from the Security World in 2022
By Troy Gill, Senior Manager of Threat Intelligence and Justin Gilbert, Senior Director of Channel Marketing at Zix
2021 was a year of firsts for the cybersecurity world. From critical infrastructure attacks like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware breach to the Microsoft Exchange cyberattack, cybersecurity experts had no shortage of high-profile, history-making events that changed not just the security industry but the world overall.
As businesses look at their security strategies for the new year, it’s important to look back at what we’ve learned from the major cyber events of 2021 and what may be in store for 2022. Below, the team at Zix, an OpenText company, has complied their predictions on what may be coming to the security world in 2022:
Troy Gill, Senior Manager of Threat Intelligence:
Beware Manufactures: Sector Will Experience Double-Digit Increase in Cyberattacks
Manufacturing is already a rich target for those seeking to carry out attacks on critical infrastructure. As supply chain issues continue well into 2022, this period of disruption will provide ample opportunities for attackers, who thrive in times of increased uncertainty. This will make the manufacturing and distribution industry the most targeted industry for cybercriminals next year.
There Will Be Greater Coordination and Collusion Between Threat Groups
As we have seen with the evolution of Malware-as-a-Service and Phishing-as-a-Service, threat actors are willing to join forces for mutual success. This was further demonstrated in the aftermath of the Emotet cybercrime services takedown earlier this year. After Emotet services were disabled by law enforcement, Trickbot malware operators stepped in and began re-seeding Emotet infections to get them back into operation. As a result, we saw malicious email traffic from Emotet in [insert date] for the first time since the takedown in January 2021. Even threat actors competing for profits see the value in having a greater variety of threat actors in operation. They can leverage them as a service or even to better hide their activities in the noise. That is why in 2022, we will see cybercriminals form even more robust working relationships to facilitate their continued success.
SMBs Must Be Prepared for Ransomware-as-a-Service Proliferation
In 2022, the Ransomware-as-a-Service model will see continued growth as it has proven to be an incredibly efficient vehicle for maximizing profits. While the growth trajectory is staying the same, the primary target of ransomware attacks will not. Government involvement in defense of critical infrastructure will motivate ransomware groups to target SMBs in order to draw less attention than larger, high-profile targets.
Personalized Phishing Will Require More Defense Specificity
Spear-phishing attacks, which involve cybercriminals personalizing emails to fit a smaller group of individuals than traditional tactics and appear more authentic, are not going anywhere. As the rise in personalized phishing gives way to new customization tactics in 2022, organizations will respond by prioritizing building more specificity into their email defenses.
Justin Gilbert, Senior Director of Channel Marketing:
MSPs Will Begin Outsourcing Parts of their Sales, Marketing and Customer Support Operations as the “Great Resignation” Continues
As the “Great Resignation” continues into 2022, MSPs will realize that to accomplish their goals for the year they will need to look to outside companies to bridge the workforce gap. As a result, they will take a hard look at their current sales, marketing and customer support operations and begin to work with dedicated third-party companies to offload certain functions. Attracting and retaining effective outbound sales expertise is challenging in the best of times. Luckily for MSPs, there are partners in the market who have their back by helping them complete a range of tasks, including getting meetings with the right prospects and maintaining a 24×7 helpdesk.
MSPs Will Embrace Automation and Vendor Consolidation to Accelerate Growth
In the year ahead, MSPs will seek to create new efficiencies to drive down costs while achieving a faster rate of growth by embracing automation and consolidating vendors. We can expect to see the automation of certain marketing, sales and customer service functions driving down labor costs on a larger scale as more MSPs adopt these strategies. The labor shortage has made it unbelievably expensive to work with multiple vendors at once, which can harm MSPs’ ability to offer services to clients while also keeping costs down. Reducing the number of portals, billing APIs and help desks that come with using multiple vendors will help MSPs save additional money and remain competitive in the market. By consolidating vendors and embracing automation throughout the organization in 2022, MSPs will increase their sales effectiveness, optimize their go-to-market strategy and become more competitive in the market.
MSPs will Embrace Microsoft’s Updated Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Program
In 2022, we will see MSPs create more predictable revenue streams by fully embracing the revisions to Microsoft’s CSP program. Its protections for the partner community, for instance, will make it so that MSPs do not have to worry about customers leaving with little to no notice.
While 2022 is sure to be another busy year in the security world, it’s the perfect opportunity for organizations to evolve their security strategies and continue to prioritize cybersecurity in the new year.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Troy Gill, Senior Manager of Threat Intelligence at Zix
Troy Gill is a GPEN Certified (2009) and UWF College of Business Scholar who serves as the Senior Manager of Threat Intelligence at Zix / AppRiver. Since joining the AppRiver team in 2007 to analyze data regarding Cybersecurity threat tactics, methodologies and vulnerabilities that present threats to ITOps teams. This real-time analysis helps Troy apply immediate improvements to cyber-analytical tools and disseminate incident reports, threat trends and situational analysis.
Troy is instrumental in providing insights that enhance customer safety. Troy’s responsibilities include managing a team of threat analysts and specialists which operate around the clock – 24/7/365. He and his team of experts monitor inbound messaging threats and identify methods for blocking them, their work has ensured the security of over 45,000 corporate customers from ever-evolving IT threats. Gill also provides advice, research support, project management services, and information security expertise to assist in designing SecOps solutions for new and existing applications.
Justin Gilbert, Senior Director of Channel Marketing at Zix
As a seasoned channel veteran, Justin Gilbert leads a team of passionate channel marketing experts focus their efforts on building partners’ businesses. Justin focuses on cultivating strategic relationships with partners to help foster healthy MSP growth through training, marketing and service offerings. When he is not helping partners build successful businesses, Justin spends his free time bragging about having built his own home by hand, wood working, fishing, kayaking, and bike riding.
