Cybersecurity Predictions for 2018 You Should Know
The experts' cybersecurity predictions for 2018 seem pretty grim—but knowing what to expect is half the battle.
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In the 2010s, we have seen serious evolution when it comes to technology—both good and bad.
We've seen the birth of the cryptocurrency boom, as well as a new birth requiring us to spot Bitcoin scams a mile away. We've even seen the booming growth of the Dark Web and some of the best black hat hackers in history make their marks.
The future of cybersecurity still remains unclear, however, experts have been coming up with a bunch of predictions as far as the upcoming year goes. Here are some of the most realistic cybersecurity predictions for 2018 currently being made.
Cyber crimes will continue to break records.
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Without fail, year after year, the number of cyber attacks involving identity theft, data breaches, and phishing has climbed. One of the most reliable cybersecurity predictions of 2018, therefore, is the prediction that the trend will continue to rise.
For business owners and individuals, this can be bad news. No one wants to know that they are at a greater risk of being hacked. However, most people will probably not have any issues as long as they pay attention to internet safety protocols.
State-sponsored hacking will continue to become the new form of war.
When Russian trolls helped steal the 2016 election, the world noticed—and so did mass media. The truth is that state-sponsored cyber attacks have been happening for years, if not decades.
This form of attack is far less dangerous than outright war in most cases, and often gives the warring nation "plausible deniability" when it comes to accusations of international interference.
North Korean hackers were the ones behind the WannaCry breach last year. Russia used troll farms to influence voters.
Most countries will begin to overtly attack others as a form of war this years, making this one of the most terrifying cybersecurity predictions of 2018.
Multiple antivirus suites had some seriously bad press in 2017. Those who pay attention to cybersecurity news will tell you that they're probably going to avoid Kaspersky due to the flaws discovered during the investigation.
However, considering that one of the other highly reliable cybersecurity predictions of 2018 is that cyber attacks will continue to get worse, it's safe to say antivirus software will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
Most US companies will not meet the new European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards.
The GDPR is the European Union's way to codify protections for consumers, and while there's no way to audit companies for GDPR protection, those that find themselves hacked and not up to par can be fined according to EU law.
For American companies, this means that e-commerce with the EU will very likely become more pricey—and this actually leads to another one of the top cybersecurity predictions of 2018.
GDPR regulators may also make examples of those who aren't up to snuff.
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The European Union has been increasingly irate with the way that American companies treat personal information, as well as the lax attitude many American corporations take when it comes to cybersecurity practices.
Knowing this, it wouldn't be shocking if GDPR regulations make a point to show the damage that refusing to abide by GDPR standards will cause to a company. Expect to see at least one or two sky-high fines sent to megacorps.
The death of password-only protections will continue to happen.
These days, most major companies require passwords and a second form of protection. One of the leading cybersecurity predictions for 2018 is that this trend will continue to happen as brute force attacks continue to become increasingly troublesome.
You may now see text authentication alongside passwords, or even a facial recognition authentication measure, if you're talking about cellphones. Passwords will just not be enough.
The biggest problem will probably be an increase in IoT devices' attacks.
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Botnets bought off the Dark Web, SS7 security breaches, and even USB drive attacks can all cause major damage to equipment—even if it's not necessarily a computer. This alone causes many concerning cybersecurity predictions for 2018.
As the Internet of Things continues to expand into phones, cars, and even Bluetooth-powered trackers, people can expect to see more breaches than ever before on devices they'd never expect to see happen.
Cybersecurity problems will also lead to more job growth in the tech fields.
There's already a major dearth of cybersecurity professionals out there—from Ethical Hackers to netsec specialists. With the cost of fixing damage done by attacks getting increasingly high, those who have cybersecurity jobs will likely see pay raises and higher job security.
Considering how unstable the job market is, it's easy to see why this may end up getting more students in upcoming years.
Cybersecurity will become increasingly politicized.
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Another common thing said among expert cybersecurity predictions for 2018 is the politicization of cybersecurity and technology. If you look at last year, this makes sense.
In 2017, we saw Net Neutrality get killed by politicians. We've also seen a strong push for new legislation that protects consumers and small businesses in the event of a cyber attack.
Many others want to see government accountability in the event of allowing state-sponsored attacks—with a great example being the push for lawmakers to penalize Twitter and Facebook for allowing Russian troll ads on their social media sites.
Make no mistake about it, cybersecurity will become a deeply political issue.
Overall, it looks like most of the cybersecurity predictions for 2018 suggest beefing up personal security.
We live in an age where hackers are getting out of control and where our governments are often the ones behind attacks. If you want to stay away from all the insanity, beefing up your cybersecurity on your own time is a good way to do it.
About the Creator
Cato Conroy
Cato Conroy is a Manhattan-based writer who yearns for a better world. He loves to write about politics, news reports, and interesting innovations that will impact the way we live.
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