With threat actors continuing to advance their techniques, organizations should be aware of the threats that are most likely to gain traction in 2022.
2021 witnessed a surge in the number of cyber threats. With cyber-attacks passing the volume of 2020, gaining traction due to vulnerabilities in the wake of COVID-19, it has become increasingly challenging for organizations to keep up with cybersecurity threats. Keeping the workforce secure while trying to adopt a hybrid and remote work model, their problems only got severe to protect data as well as ensure the uptime of services.
As per industry experts, the threat landscape is continuously going to evolve and expand at an accelerated pace in the year ahead. Organizations should expect ransomware gangs to continue putting their lives at risk. They should expect them to weaponize the firmware exploits and much more. Here are a few cybersecurity trends that organizations should be aware of and prepare to tackle in 2022:
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The commodification of software supply chain attacks
The past couple of years have shown the impact of supply chain attacks and how cybercriminals can monetize them. In 2022, organizations should expect supply chain threats to surge. They are likely to witness continued commoditization of the strategies, techniques, and procedures (TTP) used to conduct such attacks.
Malicious actors will seek for gaps in the supply chains as well target enterprise-wide software. Attacks such as Kaseya should be a wake-up call for all independent software vendors even if their customers do not consist of enterprise and government customers, they are still likely to get caught in the crosshairs of attacks seeking to exploit their customers.
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Ransomware gangs are likely to put lives at risk
Ransomware attacks will continue to be a major threat in 2022, with a high probability of victims suffering another attack. This method is most likely to take firm root when cybercriminals become aware that organizations have paid the ransom, making them a prime target in the eyes of other cyber-attacks. Some industries predict that in some instances, threats actors will hit an organization multiple times, doubling or potentially tripling their extortion rackets.
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Ransomware gangs will certainly intensify their efforts on how they pressurize victims into paying the requested ransom. Beyond leaking information of data across multiple platforms, cyber-attackers will likely opt for varied extortion methods such as contacting customers as well as business partners of victim organizations.
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Weaponizing firmware attacks
Firmware provides a fertile opportunity for cyber-attackers seeking to gain long-term persistence or perform destructive attacks. Organizations are guilty of neglecting the security of their firmware, having much lower levels of patching observed.
2021 has shown that malicious actors inspect firmware configurations as a way to exploit them in future attacks. In the next few months, organizations should expect to see the TTP for targeting firmware vulnerabilities. This will open opportunities for sophisticated cybercrime groups to weaponize threats for creating a blueprint to monetize attacks. They should also be aware of the lack of visibility and control over firmware security that will exacerbate this issue. Industries that are more likely to be targeted by such attacks should begin to think about the risks posed by low-level malware and exploits.
With the rise of the emergence of hybrid work and the continued advancement of attacks from malicious actors, meaning 2022 has plenty of unpleasant surprises in store. Hence, organizations should seek a fresh approach to secure their infrastructure and workforce.
Cybersecurity leaders should focus their efforts where their efforts will have the most impact. They should start to embrace a new architectural approach to security that helps to mitigate risk.
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