Cybersecurity threats are increasing because home networks continue to merge with enterprises.
Enterprises across all industries are becoming more dispersed, and along with the proliferation of cloud services and the ongoing digital transformation, that dispersal introduces new challenges for the cybersecurity community. As reported by Gartner,
According to the 2022 Ponemon Institute State of Cybersecurity and Third-Party Remote Access risk report:
- 54% of organizations experienced some sort of cyberattack in the last 12 months
- While 75% of the respondents claim they’ve experienced an increasing number of security breaches
Most of these incidents tie to ransomware attacks, DDoS attacks, lost or stolen devices, and credential theft.
Should Enterprises Take Security Into Their Own Hands or Trust Regulations?
An executive order from May 2021, issued by President Joe Biden, with the nation’s cybersecurity in mind, was a boon for enterprises across all industries. It stated that the country,
However, regulations and policies, especially those surrounding cybersecurity, rarely have an immediate effect. While the Biden administration’s executive order was the first step, a swift decrease of 50% in supply chain breaches and similar incidents isn’t likely.
While broad policies for the entire country don’t translate to the sudden widespread adoption of cutting-edge cybersecurity technology, enterprises should celebrate this executive order — and look for future opportunities regarding policies and regulations.
The Impact of the Last Three Years on Cybersecurity
Accelerated swiftly by the pandemic, the number of people working primarily from home has tripled — from 9 million to almost 27 million, according to the US Census Bureau.
Although employers suggested, or outright demanded, their workers to return to office last year, remote work is seemingly here to stay. Researchers from Ladders, the career site for jobs that pay $100,000 or more, notice that remote work is likely to increase, especially for professional employees.
Hybrid work was on the march and advancing even before the traditional work environment had to undergo significant changes during the pandemic.
Although the expansion of hybrid enterprise environments was inevitable, the pandemic sped up the process, leaving little time for cybersecurity specialists to prepare.
The interconnected digital supply chains, increased use of the cloud, dispersed workforces, and the advancement of public-facing digital assets are all difficult to cope with for cyber professionals.
Although a lot of organizational value is inherent in a dispersed workforce, the massive expansion of the attack surface was bound to bring cybersecurity risks, especially around permissions, identity, and rights distribution.
Enterprises now have to figure out how to provide a safe hybrid workspace environment to their employees around the country without giving them access to more than what they need, as remote work was driving cyberattacks in 2021.
Even though the Biden administration’s executive order helps, enterprises might find it more essential to build robust protocols that tackle security at the core, specifically around digital identity management and remote access.
The implications of a breach are something the modern enterprise cannot afford, as now an employee’s laptop can be more easily breached by a malicious hacker than a server inside a physical building without internet access.
The infographics show that 56% of remote workers work from their personal computers, of which 25% don’t know anything about their security protocols.
The Future of Cybersecurity in 2023
Cybersecurity and remote work infographics show that a constant rise in remote work brought an even greater risk. The trend is bound to continue this year as sectors like manufacturing continue to recover.
As IoT solutions thrive in manufacturing, the ongoing modernization that is doubtlessly beneficial for the industry brings various cybersecurity risks and challenges.
Although modern and well-funded smart factories can move forward with advanced innovations, the smaller and mid-sized manufacturers might struggle with the complexities posed by their hybrid environments.
This side of the manufacturing industry faces a major cybersecurity obstacle as it tries to find security solutions for its mixed infrastructure, composed of decades-old technology alongside the cloud. A critical part of cybersecurity for any enterprise is permissions and identity access.
Just 36% of organizations have an insight into the level of access and permissions both external and internal users have to their systems. A lot of unaccounted-for access brings the risks of a potential attack on their data, network, and assets.
As enterprises continue to disperse, the attack surface will continuously expand, increasing the potential for cyberattacks in 2023. Threats will evolve but so will cybersecurity practices, as they have this year.
Although regulations certainly help, businesses across all industries should take the initiative and ensure the protection of their systems from malicious actors.
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