Glasswall 2022 predictions - 6 - geopolitical issues

During 2022, organisations will face a wide variety of serious cybersecurity challenges, but as Glasswall CEO, Danny Lopez, explains in our latest predictions post, there are some important geopolitical issues that will continue to impact the industry as a whole:

“In looking at what organisations will be facing in 2022, it is important for security professionals to reflect on what has worked for adversaries in the past year. During 2021, a cyberattack occurred every 39 seconds. The world experienced a ransomware explosion, which will likely continue its upward trajectory in 2022. Strict sanctions on countries like Russia and China also increased tensions and led to several large-scale cyberattacks being attributed to the two nation states.

Due to their successes, adversaries are going to get craftier in their practices in 2022. The attackers will use a more personalised approach and aim to blend into the network to look like an insider. Cybercriminals will target more customer success centers to increase the chances of a big cash payout. Ransomware crime organisations may ask for less and allow for payment flexibility, so they can receive steady income over, say, 12 to 18 months.

Tension in the South China Sea is also going to have a lot of influence in the threat landscape. A large number of warships on both the Chinese and American side are currently residing in a very small geopolitical zone. History shows when those things happen there tends to be an event that triggers an avalanche. Cyber is the newest warfare tactic, and a small spark could launch flames that engulf a large number of countries into a full-on cyber conflict threatening the global supply chain.

We need to learn from our mistakes, and stay vigilant, in order to bolster cybersecurity defenses. It's impossible to look into a crystal ball and predict the future, but we have the past to learn from in order to move forward to a more secure future.”

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