NEWS
Cyber threats predicted to continue to rise in 2024
Cloud service attacks and ransomware threats are likely to continue to grow in 2024, meaning cyber resilience should be a priority, according to KnowBe4’s 2024 cybersecurity predictions for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Predicted cybersecurity trends for 2024 include: q Cloud service attacks A rise in attacks on cloud services means that we will see successful attacks on either cloud providers or cloud-based applications or both. This will potentially result in loss of availability of services, breach of personal data and intellectual property. The UK is the most targeted country in EMEA and therefore has a higher likelihood for attacks. w Collaboration and information sharing We will see an increased focus on collaboration and information sharing between national and international cybersecurity agencies; and ultimately between public and private partnerships to combat cybercrime, address nation and state threats, and to proactively detect and respond to emerging cyber threats. e Legislation on AI Much needed legislation on AI, more specifically generative AI, will come to fruition throughout Europe in the next year. The laws are vague now leaving them open for misinterpretation and abuse. The Digital Service Act and the proposed European Union AI Act are some of the legislation that will force generative AI providers to be more transparent and adhere to disclosure requirements, which will bring about clarity in terms of what is and isn’t allowed. Similarly, Africa lacks AI legislation. However, three African countries, Mauritius, Egypt and Kenya, have made efforts to advance policy documents dedicated specifically to AI. In contrast, the Dubai International Financial Centre has already enacted amendments to its Data Protection Regulations. New requirements on the processing of personal data via autonomous and semi-autonomous systems, like AI, were introduced and were applicable as of 1 September. r Ransomware attacks to aim for supply chain services Ransomware cybercriminal groups will continue to increase their attacks but will be more targeted and work to attack supply chain services to disrupt and damage organisations
around the world. t Internal training and AI to lessen the cybersecurity skills gap According to ISACA, the EU currently has a shortage of 260,000 to 500,000 tech workers. Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report shows that the demand for cybersecurity skills has grown by an average of 35% in Africa in 2022 alone, and a study by Trellix found that 66% of IT managers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia think that their organisations do not have the right people or processes in place to be cyber resilient. This skills shortage is not going to be filled any time soon, leaving organisations vulnerable to cyberattacks. Organisations will have little choice but to employ tech workers with less desired qualifications and certifications to attempt to combat cybercrime. In addition, they will continue to fill the skills gap by training employees across departments to become the human firewall against cyberattacks; and using AI-powered defence for better threat detection and incident response. y Disinformation campaigns to lead to extortion schemes Disinformation campaigns will be used to launch attacks or distract from ongoing attacks. We can expect to see related service offerings on the dark web, giving rise to disinformation as a service. This will impact politics and the private sector. Disinformation becomes a tool for cybercriminals seeking to extract money from legitimate private businesses through extortion schemes. Attackers will increase their use of deep fakes, including video and voice. u Privacy by demand Privacy regulations are forcing organisations to adapt and we will see privacy by design and user experience privacy gain traction. In particular, the use of generative AI in organisations, ethical considerations and privacy by design will become more prevalent. i Cyber resilience will become a priority Ensuring that organisations continue to function despite cyberattacks will continue to be a top strategic priority for many, acknowledging that having such a strategy in place is vital. Organisations will place greater emphasis on developing and nurturing a security culture, as it’s one of the best ways to protect their data and systems from cyberattacks and to ensure that attacks are detected and reported quickly if successful.
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