A lot has changed in the world between now and then. One thing that almost certainly hasn’t changed is people hacking into systems for fun, profit, or many times, both. While cybersecurity professionals have gotten better at defending systems against attackers, attackers seem to also become more skilled at getting around their defenses.

If you want to know what the world of cybersecurity will look like five years from now, here are some things to consider based off what we learned in the year 2021.

Plan For Ransomware

When criminals are able to infect critical systems, they will encrypt the data. If you pay the ransom, you might get your files back, but if you fail to plan before it’s too late – how will you run your business? How will you operate your utilities?

There seems to be no end in sight for ransomware attacks. Even if the victims follow safety precautions, newer generations of ransomware are able to circumvent security measures. Businesses, both big and small should take the necessary measures to ensure that their critical information will not be lost in case of an attack. Otherwise, they could go out of business if hackers are able to infiltrate their systems.

If you are looking for ransomware protection , it is advisable to start planning before criminals are able to infect your critical systems.

Once criminals take over control of the machine, they will find and encrypt the data before sending out a ransom note. If you want to protect your business and yourself – it is best to train employees on how to spot phishing emails. This way, you can make sure that more of your devices are safe from criminals. Also, your employees will not be wasting time on false messages and instead focus on their work at hand.

Control Remote Endpoints

In 2020, nearly every major PC manufacturer began installing hardware components onto these devices which allowed third parties to remotely command and control them with little to no user intervention.

These new features were intended to make remote system management easier and more cost effective, as well as help IT departments catch malware infections before they found their way onto the network. However, critics of the technology said that it opened a dangerous new vector for attackers and would eventually lead to an increase in attacks.

And they were right. By 2021, the emergence of “slave botnets” has become a major cybersecurity threat to corporations across the globe. Luckily, industry leaders are taking steps toward combating this new kind of attack by offering end-point control products that allow organizations to quickly detect and correct unauthorized changes made to their systems—and to regain control of systems that have been compromised.

One technology, known simply as “end-point management”, allows organizations to install a software agent on their PCs which enables them to configure, patch and update the system over the network. Additionally, these agents can be used to quickly remove malware infections—even those actively spreading across the network.

Automate Patching

This lesson was the hardest to learn for organizations. Many security professionals missed it because they fought vulnerabilities, failed to take automation seriously, or didn’t invest enough in both areas. Organizations were inundated by alerts from security devices and logs from operating systems and applications that couldn’t be remediated automatically. Without the ability to quickly and completely remediate threats, many organizations simply stopped listening to alerts. But automation was soon embraced for patch management after developers started to create patches that were one-click automated fixes even though they didn’t need to be deployed immediately.

Apply software patches immediately. In 2021, technology is more advanced than ever before and cyber attackers have been able to staying one step ahead of cybersecurity professionals by finding unknown vulnerabilities in computer networks. These security vulnerabilities allow threat actors to gain access to corporate networks where they can steal sensitive data, customer information and intellectual property.

Firewall protection is critical, but threats will always evolve which means some of them can pass through even the most sophisticated firewalls. Because of this, security professionals are recommended to install new firewalls on corporate networks every six months.

Cybersecurity professionals also learned that network isolation is crucial in blocking cyber attacks. By isolating sections of a network that handled sensitive data, hackers who may have gained access to one area could not gain access to another.

Maintain Device Integrity

If it sounds like a broken record, that’s because it is. Since the beginning of the decade, cyber criminals have had an easy time hacking our devices to cause mass destruction; they can do almost anything with them. While there are many lessons learned throughout the years, this is one of the most important.

What exactly does it mean to maintain the integrity of your devices? It means you should update them often, even when they don’t ask for it. It also means not clicking on suspicious links/email attachments and never visiting unfamiliar websites. Security vulnerabilities in homes and businesses are a major problem in 2021 because these devices have been around for so long without being maintained well.

Additionally, if you already own a home or business that uses modern IoT devices, it is recommended that you update their software to the latest version since they’re often more secure. Vendors have been known to send out updates with fixes/updates multiple times, so check for new ones every now and then. If your device can’t update itself, do it manually. In the event that your device can’t be updated, consider replacing it with a newer model.

Another major lesson learned is to always be aware of what you’re doing online and on devices. For example, make sure you know where your data is going before you upload it to a third party cloud storage service. Those that aren’t aware tend to be the easiest targets for hackers who want their information or money.

There are many things which could have been done differently to avoid some of the weaknesses which exist today. In the next 10 years, our cybersecurity infrastructure will grow and mature with technological development, but there are still lessons to be learned from how it has developed over the past decade. One thing is clear — if we do not learn from our mistakes, history will repeat itself. Stay tuned into Bayshore Interactive Blog for more information on cybersecurity related news!