The 6 Major Cybersecurity Challenges in 2022

Nowadays we are increasingly connected and that there are more and more threats to which we are exposed.  Even if you are just a student who decides to google “Who can write my essay?” you are already exposing yourself to the dangers that lurk on the Internet.  Training and protection in cybersecurity have become essential at a personal and business level.

Today we will explain the 6 significant cybersecurity challenges facing users and companies in 2022.

  1. Ransomware

Ransomware is malware that demands a ransom to return access to our information. This information is in our possession. We can see it, and it is there, but we have lost access to it.

This type of malware usually enters through email. Although large companies, even small ones, have investments in cybersecurity, either with a firewall, email protection, etc., if a user or if an employee decides to open a malicious file, the whole company would be compromised.

  1. Phishing

Phishing is an old acquaintance for everyone, but it is still there, and it is still a threat. What is happening? We are sent an email, or a message, with a link that makes us hesitate, and we enter our username and password. So we are compromising our assets or our company’s assets because we must remember that when someone steals an employee’s username and password, they can access shared files and cause problems that we don’t even imagine.

Phishing attacks are no longer simply attacks in which you are asked for your username and password just like that. They are more targeted. They usually have our name and surname and some interesting information such as an old password, something that makes us think that it is not a phishing attack but something more credible. For that reason, it is necessary to be very conscious, protected, and sure that when a phishing attack arrives, the company’s users will know that this can happen, that it is a threat, and, of course, not to click where we should not.

  1. Espionage

When we talk about espionage, we can refer to industrial espionage, spying on the president of a government, or, also, why not, to end-users like any of us. Sometimes we think: “Who is going to spy on me or hack me? I am nobody famous”. This is a mistake. Of course, we can be spied on and, unbeknownst to us, be complicit in a cyberattack. Maybe they don’t want to get a specific image of you, but through your device, they may be able to spy on a third party.

Information is power, and whoever has access to it will have more information, probably be privileged, and will be able to make better decisions that will translate into economic benefits or in other aspects. Therefore, we must consider that we may be being spied on, what data we store, how we store it, who has access to it, how we are protecting it, what access management we have, identity management, etc.

  1. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks

In this case, the attack occurs during a transaction between two parties (e.g., an e-commerce purchase), exploiting potential vulnerabilities in a network (e.g. an unsecured public WiFi network).

  1. Denial-of-Service (DOS) attacks

Also within the category of the most common computer attacks are actions aimed at blocking systems, networks or servers with excessive traffic. In this way, the system is rendered incapable of processing information: when it is saturated, its operations are also interrupted.

  1. Attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT)

Establishing IoT (Internet of Things) environments has led to significant advances in many sectors. However, the fact that this model is based on the interconnectivity of devices means that an additional effort must be made to ensure its cybersecurity, as the number of points potentially vulnerable to attacks multiplies.

The expansion of IoT environments is also causing attacks in this area to multiply. What’s more, a statistic published in the NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Report reported that IoT devices were attacked an average of 5 minutes after being switched on.

How to prevent cyberattacks?

There are several basic guidelines for preventing cyberattacks: keeping all systems up to date generating secure passwords for all accesses or changing them often.

Just as we practice how to respond, for example, to fire, why don’t we do cybersecurity drills? Having lived the experience and what it feels like when you have a security incident before it happens is essential. And how do you do this? By coaching and training. 

And of course, you have to know basic internet usage rules and if you’re a company try to improve existing security system or build one. Some are already taking steps to keep their clients safe, such as WowEssays company.

Conclusion

As we see, the sphere of cybersecurity is actively gaining popularity. Almost two million cybersecurity jobs will be needed by 2022. It is already taken for granted that there will not be enough people, that there is no talent yet. That’s why monitoring the situation and learning about cybersecurity constantly is important.