2017: Cyber Security Predictions

What can we expect from the coming year in cyber security? VPS.NET takes a look at recent predicitons.
There is always a lot of competition for what issues will find their way onto the national policy agenda. This is especially true when a new world leader gets into power. But with the shocking revelation that Russia used hacking to interfere in the US presidential election—one of the most contentious in history—the focus for many right now is squarely on cyber security.

Finally!

It’s about time, too. Cyber security and information security has long been ignored, even though it has continued to have real world effects on nearly every citizen that uses the internet. Looking at the massive hacks earlier this year can cause significant unease. For example, a breach that took down a wide swath of the internet, or the massive infiltration of Yahoo’s email accounts, which held millions of individual’s personal details and communications is very worrying
With news stories that tell of so much information being compromised, it’s shocking that cybersecurity has been ignored for this long. As one commentator put it, all of these events “reveal that attackers are far ahead of defenders when it comes to digital security.”

Security Investment

Studies show that global investment in cyber security is on track to exceed $1 trillion over the next five years. It’s hard to see why these systems are still so far behind when big money is at stake. Nevertheless, now that cyber security is front and center in many lawmakers’ and citizens minds, 2017 is sure to see it become a more prominent policy issue.
Here is a look at some predictions from information and cyber security experts for what we can expect in the field in 2017:

Growth of AI

There is a well-documented shortage of employable experts in the field of cybersecurity. In fact, that is one reason why the field has lagged behind. Companies can’t find enough people with the requisite expertise to address the issue. To fill that gap, many guess that we will see AI playing a growing role in cybersecurity in 2017.
As an article in CIO reported “The reality is that cybersecurity knowledge needs to be automated in some way,” says John Shearer, CEO and cofounder of DarkLight, a cybersecurity analytics and automation provider. “Startups will emerge that recognize this huge market need for blending human expertise with AI. AI systems that can be taught by human experts, and human experts that can be taught by AI systems, is what the hottest startups will focus on.”

Look to China

It’s not just Russia that has its sights set on meddling the US, it’s China too, at least according to experts. Attention must be paid to the motives and opportunities that China has to meddle in US affairs via cyber means, particularly with such a controversial administration at the helm of the US government.
As one blog put it: “Trump and his political network caused controversy throughout their campaign. Pulling that thread by digging up nonpublic dirt can help China gain leverage over Trump’s team, and actually unravel initiatives, policies and positions that might run against their interests. And China has the motives and capabilities to make this happen in 2017.”

Beware the IoT

The growth in sensors connected to physical devices, collectively known as the “internet of things,” has been steady. But so too has the threat that these distributed devices play in terms of cyber security. There are plenty in the field who predict that “IoT devices will increasingly be used for Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks through 2017,” so those who use and develop those devices should remain vigilant.  

Wifi Worms

It hasn’t happened yet, but a kind of “doomsday” scenario for cyber security could be a wifi worm. Wifi worms are described as “a type of malware that could quickly spread through an urban area by using Wi-Fi to infect routers.” Previously we’ve seen malware spread via things like users downloading a bad attachment or plugging in an infected USB port. If this kind of malware could spread organically via wifi, the threat would be much more severe and penetrate much further.  

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