With the US presidential election in the spotlight, accusations of election meddling and manipulation will be rife in 2020, according to ESET’s latest Cybersecurity Trends Report. In addition to poll manipulation, Cybersecurity Trends 2020: Technology is getting smarter – are we? presents ESET experts’ predictions on the key challenges consumers and businesses will face in 2020.
1. Multiplication of “fake news”
The term “fake news” became famous with the outcry over the manipulation of information and data during the 2016 US presidential election. It’s clear that this topic will be at the heart of controversy again during the 2020 campaign. Furthermore, Facebook was fined $5 billion this year for its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Tony Anscombe, global security evangelist at ESET, believes that the manipulation of information will not stop in 2020.
Tony Anscombe explains: “ Whether it’s disinformation or propaganda, information will continue to be used as a weapon. Businesses and government agencies are constantly subject to major data breaches and system attacks. Why should voting technologies or processes be immune? »
2. Machine learning: in the service of cybersecurity or cybercrime?
If artificial intelligence is not about to become autonomous, machine learning is, however, poised to become one of the most exciting technological advances in history. While machine learning offers exciting opportunities for the cybersecurity industry, cybercriminals will also leverage it to increase the scale and complexity of their attacks.
Deepfake is one of the techniques that rely on machine learning. Jake Moore, a security specialist at ESET, predicts that cybercriminals will increasingly use this technology in 2019. “The quality of deepfakes is improving at an impressive rate,” he says. “In the future, this method could be widely used to harm public figures by attributing whatever words you want them to say.” Even the most realistic videos will require extra vigilance.
3. Privacy: Time for change
Although many countries have passed new or strengthened data breach reporting laws in 2019, distrust around the use of personal data remains pervasive. This problem will persist until privacy fines become a larger percentage of large companies’ revenue, according to Lysa Myers, senior security researcher at ESET.
Lysa Myers agrees with the International Association of Privacy Professionals, which has advised companies to provide comprehensive functionality while ensuring privacy. “Companies that can meet this challenge have a significant competitive advantage,” she says. Lysa also points to the loss of trust in usernames and passwords. As a result, organizations need to increase their reliance on multi-factor authentication.
4. Smart cities: security risks?
The future is smart cities and connected buildings, with technology becoming an increasingly integral part of our daily lives. More than 80% of new buildings have IoT elements. However, experts are concerned about the disconnect between the rapid growth of smart cities and our ability to keep them secure.
Many smart devices and systems lack strong authentication protocols or are even completely unprotected by security solutions. For Cecilia Pastorino, security researcher at ESET, malware attacks on smart cities are a major problem. She explains: “Although the systems used by smart cities and buildings do not browse the internet or open emails, they still need to be protected against malware.”
-
Digital transformation
The need for companies to adapt to an increasingly digital world is not new, but one of the particularities linked to digital transformation constitutes a threat to organizations: employee mobility.
