With the old year fading away and the new on upon our doorstep, now is the best time to assess security risks and also determine where changes can be made, in terms of planning and technology availability, especially security software.

Recently security experts shared their 2024 trend predictions with Information Week, an online publication specialising in tech news, and this is what they had to share.

The Advancing Threat of AI

While the rest of the world has been gripped with the image and text generation capabilities of AI like ChatGPT, the security industry has been wearily watching, as it has become quite obvious that AI has the power to become a real security problem.

“We’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of what potential capability enhancement that these kind of tools could give to both attackers and defenders,” Kelli Vanderlee, senior manager at threat intelligence solutions provider Mandiant Intelligence, a part of Google Cloud, told InformationWeek.

According to Google Cloud, AI could be used to create powerful phishing attacks and it could be used to make it easier for threat actors to manipulate society through the use of deepfakes and the generation of devastating fake news. 

The good news is that AI can also be used to help defend against advanced AI generated attacks, so we can expect to see a great improvement in cybersecurity defences in the near future, using the capabilities of AI.

Cloud Security will become a Priority

The data and programmes used by countless companies is often Cloud based these days. But just one well-timed, well-aimed cyber-attack can wipe out a company’s data and damage operations.

In 2023, Mandiant Intelligence watched as Cloud spaces were attacked relentlessly and according to Google Cloud’s Cybersecurity Forecast 2024, this attacking will continue to be a troubling trend in the New Year, especially as threat actors continue to search for and unfortunately find new ways to exploit Cloud issues.

To mitigate the threat of an attack, Yuval Wollman, who is the chief cyber officer and managing director at UST, which is a digital technology solutions company, suggests companies use Cloud Security Posture Management.

Ransomware will continue to be a problem

It would surprise no one in the tech world that ransomware is such a lucrative business, that those who use it to exploit web users and companies will continue to do so with extra vigour in 2024.

A trend in ransomware attacks that has recently become a bigger problem is dual attacks. These attacks are structured in such a way that they happen one right after the other, with the victim hardly getting enough time to recover.

According to Andrius Useckas, the CTO and CISO at ThreatX, an API and web application protection company, phishing is the most common way that a ransomware attack starts. And with the advancements in AI, phishing scams are becoming very difficult to detect, with Useckas saying that the best defence a company can have is to keep staff well-educated in the ways to identify phishing while also creating layers of protective cybersecurity systems.

Preparing for a Cyber-Secure 2024

Taking a look at some of these business focused threats, you need to ask yourself if you have a cybersecurity system in place that is robust enough to hold the wolves at bay. If you don’t, you need to start your New Year with a clear plan to jack up your cybersecurity set up, and you can start by contacting 24/7 IT Services. Not only do we specialise in cybersecurity for businesses, but we also offer Cloud Solutions, VoIP Solutions and Managed IT Support.

Contact us today and let us help you protect your business.

The post Cybersecurity Trends To Look Out For As We Go Into 2024 appeared first on 247 IT Services.

These days, business continuity plays an ever more important role in the business world.

Since so much of our working lives is conducted online, it makes sense that our backup and protection plans should also be online, if only partly.

Cloud computing has become one of the most useful systems for businesses. Not only does using a Cloud computing system minimise the amount of hardware the company needs to invest in, but it also allows those doing the work to take the tasks with them wherever they go. The benefits of using the Cloud also extend to business continuity plan.

How Cloud Computing Enhances Business Continuity

With Cloud computing being used as a part of your business continuity plan, the sky is the limit when it comes to the kinds of plans as well as the kind of backup system that you can have in place for the worst case scenario.

Here’s just a few ways in which Cloud computing can save your company during a time of crisis:

It Provides Remote Access and Workforce Continuity

During a crisis that forces the team to leave their offices and work from a new location, having a Cloud based business continuity plan in place will ensure that the team can still collaborate remotely and get through the daily tasks. This is made possible only when the company has efficiently backed up its data to the Cloud.

It Protects through Data Redundancy

Data redundancy is the practice of storing data in two different places. The idea is that if the data is compromised in one location, the second version will still be there. Cloud computing is quite an excellent option for data redundancy, mostly because it is always available.

It has Exceptional Disaster Recovery Capabilities

Saving data during a crisis is not the only benefit associated with having a Cloud based business continuity plan. Being able to reduce the downtime and enjoy a swift recovery is also associated with this form of data backup.

Cloud Security and Business Continuity

No backup systems are without their challenges. Having a healthy worry about the security of your Cloud based business continuity plan is natural, and also easy to assuage.

Data breaches, unauthorised access and other types of vulnerabilities are usually the main concerns when it comes to Cloud security.

This is where having a Cloud provider is actually the best choice, when compared to trusting your business data to a free Cloud system, such as Google Drive.

Cloud providers are able to implement various tough security measures to give the company’s data additional protection. These providers will often make use of advanced data encryption, identity and access management, and they will have strong role-based controls. The Cloud provider will also use a variety of firewalls, which are guaranteed to stop any would be hackers in their tracks.

Along with all of this intense security, most of the best types of Cloud providers will offer their clients data backups as well as a complete disaster recovery solution.

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Your business continuity setup is the one aspect of your business that should not be ignored. At 24/7 IT Services we can assist you with a variety of solutions, such as IT Security, Managed IT Support, and Business Continuity. Contact us today to get a quote or to book a consultation.

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