Zenedge is a cloud based web application security and ‘Distributed Denial of Service’ mitigation services. The company employs several cybersecurity experts, with advice offered to businesses. The company is well-placed to cast its eye over the state of cybersecurity leading into 2018.
Yuri Frayman, CEO at Zenedge, told Smart2Zero that businesses continue to face real-threats: “the caliber and frequency at which organizations are experiencing cyberattacks is alarming.”
The cybersecurity expert adds: “it is imperative that the industry pivot accordingly, developing, and ultimately implementing preventative technologies at a much faster rate. We can no longer look to old solutions that solely rely on manpower and human interaction.”
In terms of what this means going forward, Frayman responds: “Instead, we must invest in machine learning and artificial intelligence, which play a critical role in anomaly detection and mitigation, increasing the ability to effectively identify and combat the most massive infiltrations the industry will face in the years to come.”
So what is needed as 2018 unfolds? Three areas are called out.
Artificial intelligence
According to Zenedge, artificial intelligence is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but instead it needs to be a core component that reinforces an organization’s cybersecurity strategy. As an example, Wired reports on the services provided by the company Darktrace, which uses machine learning to define what “normal” looks like for any network. The system can then alert about any deviations and anomalies in real time. This approach guards against repeat performances.
Rise in state-sponsored attacks
The cybersecurity threat posed by terror-harboring nations is set to rise, Zenedge predicts. This stands as the main way that nations of different ideologies will ‘attack’ one another. Nation state attacks tend to focus on intelligence gathering. One example during 2017 was the attack on the World Anti-Doping Agency by the Russian group Fancy Bear, seen by some commentators as a response to the recent banning of Russian athletes by the Olympics committee.
IoT vulnerabilities increase
As the Internet of Things becomes mainstream it will become a greater target for attack. Due to the complexity of the IoT ecosystem it will become imperative for businesses to monitor sensors for indications of compromise and attack. According to analysts GlobalSign many IoT devices can be taken over and used to trigger distributed denial of service attacks against very sensitive targets.
