6 Network Security Challenges in the Year Ahead

The network security threat landscape in 2019 is expected to look much like it did in 2018. Here’s a look at six network security challenges for 2019 for businesses and individual users to keep in mind.

In many ways, the network security threat landscape in 2019 will look much like it did in 2018. From viruses to DDoS attacks, even when threats aren’t multiplying in number year over year, they’re managing to become more sophisticated and damaging. Here’s a look at six network security challenges for 2019 for businesses and individual users to keep in mind.

1. A Greater Amount of Sensitive Traffic Than Ever

In a 2018 survey, PwC reported that mobile channels were the only segment that saw growth that year among banking customers. In other words, demand for mobile-friendly banking tools is higher than ever. That means a lot of very sensitive data flowing over public and private networks.

In 2018, security experts from Kaspersky discovered what appeared to be a years-long router-hacking campaign performed by as-yet-unknown cyber-assailants. Researchers discovered digital fingerprints all over the world indicating that routers in public places had been subtly hacked to allow kernel-level access for any device connected to it.

Kernel-level access is the deepest access possible, indicating that the data being sought here was highly personal ― including, potentially, banking transactions and communication records.

2. Worms and Viruses

Viruses and worms are some of the most well-known network security challenges. In 2015, Symantec estimated that as many as one million new malware threats are released into the wild every day or a total of 217 million in a calendar year.

In 2017, AV-Test released research indicating that the number of new malware threats had declined for the first time ever, down to 127 million over the year.

Viruses can lay dormant until the user performs an action that triggers it, meaning there’s not always an indication that something’s even amiss. Worms infect specific files, such as documents, and self-replicates itself once it’s inside a target system.

For individual internet users, network architects and IT specialists, anti-virus and anti-malware programs are still necessary for keeping this class of threats at bay. For IT departments especially, high-profile computer bugs are a reminder that a vast majority of attacks target unpatched software and out-of-date hardware. The number of new threats might be gradually declining, but the severity of these threats hasn’t abated.

3. Compelling Students to Enter the STEM Fields

Let’s switch focus for a moment and look at the next generation of people who will detect, fix and communicate about modern threats on the digital seas. All of the STEM fields are vital to national competitiveness but, of the top college majors ranked by a number of job prospects, computer science takes first place.

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, skills obtained in the fields of math, science and technology are increasingly transferable to, and relevant in, a wide variety of industries and potential career paths. Part of the reason is the ubiquity of technology and the rate of data exchange across the world, which powers commerce, finance, and most other human endeavors.

Unfortunately, the NBER has also indicated that the U.S. requires many more STEM students than it currently has, in order to compete in a digital and globalized world.

The number and types of cyber threats are a huge part of the reason why, with world powers and unknown parties engaging in cyber-espionage and attempted hacking at regular intervals, against both private and public infrastructure. Making a stronger push to get kids interested in these fields will also help address unemployment and opportunity gaps in struggling communities.

4. DDoS Attacks

For companies whose business model revolves around selling digital services, or selling anything else online for that matter, DDoS attacks can be crippling, not to mention ruinously expensive due to lost revenue.

DDoS attacks have made a lot of news recently thanks to WannaCry and others, but the motivation behind them seems to be shifting. Perpetrators today are less concerned with crippling a target’s infrastructure and more interested, potentially, in using DDoS attacks as a distraction while they carry out more sophisticated penetration attempts without interference.

Either way, using the Internet of Things to overwhelm an organization’s digital infrastructure is a type of network security threat became more common in 2017 than in 2016 ― up 24 percent ― with no obvious signs of relenting. Early detection is the best weapon, as are Web Application Firewalls. Both solutions require either an attentive in-house IT team or effective collaboration with your service provider.

5. Cryptojacking

Cryptocurrencies are either worthless or about to take off in a big way. But despite the uncertainty over its future, the limited applications, and the slow adoption rate, “crypto-jacking” is becoming a favorite pastime of hackers.

Cryptojacking occurs when a malicious app or script on a user’s digital device mines cryptocurrency in the background without the user’s knowledge or permission. “Mining” cryptocurrency requires a fair amount of hardware power and other resources, meaning users who’ve been cryptojacked will find that their programs and devices don’t work as expected.

Worse, the sheer variety of techniques used to introduce cryptojacking scripts into counterfeit and even legitimate web and mobile applications is positively dizzying. And since they come in all shapes and forms, cryptojacking attacks could well have other underhanded intentions beyond mining cryptocurrencies, including accessing forbidden parts of the code or sensitive user information.

6. Bring Your Own Device

Let’s close with a few words of advice about BYOD ― bring your own device ― policies in the workplace. There are clear benefits to allowing employees to use their favorite devices at work, including higher productivity and morale. But doing so also introduces a panoply of potential security threats.

IT departments already struggle sometimes with keeping computers and devices patched and updated, and the public struggles even more. Thanks to the fragmented nature of the Android operating system, for instance, “most” Android phones and tablets in operation today are not running the latest security fixes, according to security vendor Skycure.

Your employees and your business have a lot to gain from implementing BYOD. But doing so requires a comprehensive set of rules for employees to abide by, including turning on auto-updates for OS patches, completing training on how to respond to phishing attempts and other cybersecurity threats, and delivering regular reminders about good password hygiene.

No network security threat is insurmountable, but most of them do require vigilance ― and in most cases, a great IT team or a security-minded vendor.

Source:https://www.readitquik.com/articles/security-2/6-network-security-challenges-in-the-year-ahead/