Cybersecurity News, Trends, and Tips: December 2022

Cybersecurity news in 2022 is as wild as the quickly-changing industry it covers, with new technologies disrupting the known and huge cyberattacks shaking up businesses every day.

December 2022 Cybersecurity News

• World Cup Introduces New Security Challenges: The FIFA World Cup, happening now in Qatar, has introduced new cybersecurity challenges for teams, players, and event organizers. Everything happening around the grounds during a game is connected (even the ball), which has caused FIFA to take new precautions. But the biggest threats seem to be aimed at the teams and players as cybercriminals use phishing and ransomware attacks to attempt to steal and profit from personal data.
• Cloud Storage Becoming Bigger Cyberattack Target: Personal cloud storage platforms—such as Google Drive, iCloud, Amazon, etc.—are being targeted at higher rates in the past few months. To counter, tech leaders like Apple are implementing new encryption methods to help users protect their data from hackers and anyone else who could steal it.
• Security Experts Express Concerns for AI-Generated Art: AI-generated avatars have become a huge trend over the past month, with users uploading photos of themselves and using an AI tool from Lensa to generate new photos. Security experts warn that, according to Lensa’s privacy policy, they reserve the right to keep your uploaded photos and generated artwork for their own use. Additionally, there are extra security concerns with sharing clear photos of your face, especially if you frequently use biometrics like face scans to open your phones or other devices.

Staying Secure During Holiday Shopping

The holidays are a hectic time for everyone. From shoppers buying online and in-store and putting their payment and personal information at risk, to the shops that are being flooded with purchases and data that must be protected, the pressures of the season make it tempting to ignore cybersecurity best practices.

However, the chaos of the holiday season is a scenario that cybercriminals thrive in. That’s why it’s become one of the most dangerous times of the year for attacks, which typically surge up to 30%.

It’s critically important that both people and businesses understand how to thwart them.

One attack to be aware of is ransomware. Ransomware during the holiday season typically results in greater revenue loss than attacks occurring throughout the year. Stolen data can not only result in financial harm but also reputational damage if a cybercriminal is able to steal customer data.

Related Blog: Top 6 Holiday Scams

According to CISA, to stay secure during the holidays, businesses need to:

• Secure devices with strong passwords
• Utilize multi-factor authentication
• Encrypt all messages and stored data
• Enable automatic software updates
• Educate your staff on cybersecurity best practices

World Politics’ Impact on Cybersecurity

A topic that dominated cybersecurity news throughout 2022 and which has affected the field heavily is the war in Ukraine.

Earlier this year, CISA launched its Shields Up initiative to help businesses stay protected against possible malicious cyber activity from Russia. These attacks would be aimed at some of Ukraine’s allies and attempt to harm stateside businesses in an attempt to disrupt the economy and critical infrastructure.

As we head into the end of this year and the beginning of next, it’s important for businesses to stay vigilant because this threat has not fizzled out. Remember to consider all of CISA’s recommendations to defend against potential Russian cyber aggression and to keep up on things like cybersecurity training for phishing, software updates, and more.

AI in Cybersecurity

Machine-learning chatbot ChatGPT has security experts re-thinking how AI could be implemented within cybersecurity in the near future. The machine-learning chat tool has shown that its capabilities are incredible, and security experts have already pushed its cybersecurity capabilities.

Though its parameters prevent it from doing things that may cause harm, experts have been able to get it to perform different offensive and defensive cybersecurity tasks like writing realistic phishing emails, generating evasion code to bypass threat detection, and even writing its own malware.

Related Blog: How is AI Used in Cybersecurity

It’s no secret that cybersecurity is becoming more important by necessity due to the increase in cyberattacks worldwide, but the market for AI within cybersecurity is growing even quicker than experts anticipated. As of the end of this year, the industry is valued at $22.4 billion and that number is expected to rise to $60+ billion in just five more years.

In Conclusion

From AI writing malware to the war in Ukraine to the holiday shopping season creating a feeding frenzy for cybercriminals, cybersecurity news is in an interesting place heading into the end of 2022.

To stay secure against cybercriminals you need a strong security posture that makes use of all kinds of technologies and strategies. Get started by downloading our checklist, How Covered is Your Business?, to get a better idea of where your business stands.