Cyber security is undergoing a massive evolution as more and more processes and functions begin to get digitalized. In 2022, many advancements and trends are ready to take center stage in reshaping the world of cyber security.

Attack Statistics

To start with, about 80% of nation state attacks were targeted towards government agencies, other cyber attacks were towards think tanks, non-government organizations and others. The attacks on these agencies by Russia increased from 3% in 2020 to about 53%. This is a huge threat that is expected to increase as time goes on.

The education sector is another target that has suffered from cyber attacks, accounting for about 3% of nation state attacks. This means that you have other governments that are attacking the US education system. About 2% of these nation state attacks were towards IT companies. Since IT companies are integral for the digital revolution of the country. Perpetrators are not happy when to see them uplift the economy.

Moreover, the IT companies also control the networks which means attacking them can weaken other sectors of the economy as well. About 39 ransomware groups directed their attacks towards the healthcare sector. These groups are continuing to grow as time progresses.

The reason healthcare industry faces a large number of ransomware attacks is because they that part of the industry have to deal with large volumes of sensitive data. This is why malicious actors find out many access points to penetrate their network and hold their data into ransom.

Healthcare and Cyber Security

The healthcare industry invests about less than 6% of their total budget on cyber security. This is very far off from the average recommendation. 88% of healthcare workers also fall victim to phishing emails which is another large amount. This is where awareness and training comes into play to counter this problem. In public safety, you have to be more aware of this kind of attacks so that you can train people.

About 75% of healthcare industries had to face malware threats. This is a big number, and about 45 million people had to face the repercussions of the attack. This is still a huge number, and about 33% of third-party attacks were forced towards healthcare enterprises in 2021.

Supply Chain Trends

Along with healthcare, the cyber attacks are also being directed to the US supply chain industry. About 66% of the cyber attacks are focused on the supplier chain code, which means that the bad actors are trying to penetrate the patches, methods and updates for protection. Moreover, about 58% of attacks focused on data access.

About 62% of the supply chain attacks disrupt the trust between the customers and the suppliers. This means that they are trying to get you to go to a different supplier. The motives of these nationwide attacks portray a bigger picture. One in which they collectively try to bring the US economy to a halt. Not only that, they also have a monetary benefit to resort to.

These are some of the few out of many industries that have to face nation-driven cyber attacks. Fortunately, thanks to some of the cyber security trends emerging, companies are now able to deploy strategies that help fight against these attacks.

AI-powered Security

Similar to the way AI is used in financial services to protect against fraud, it can counteract cyber crime by identifying patterns of behavior that signify any suspicious activity that stays hidden to humanist perceptions. AI assistance can be incredible for systems that are managing a large number of data and events in a day.

It can also be critical for businesses that have to cope with about thousands of events taking place at every second. Research found that about quarter of all businesses believe that artificial intelligence is a pivotal mean for determining and countering cyber threats. Not only that, nearly three quarters of businesses are using or testing AI for cyber security purpose.

Growing Ransomware Threat

The growing threat of ransomware is another trend to take into consideration. There were about three times more ransomware attacks in the first months of last year, compared to the entire year of 2019. Further research by PWC suggests that about 61% of technology executives expect this number to increase by 2022.

Ransomware is a means of infesting your network with a virus that locks your valuable data with the help of encryptions. The bad actor will then send a threatening request for money as a ransom if you want the encryption key to access your data again. They will commonly demand money in the form of cryptocurrency so that the transfer remains untraceable.

Ransomware will usually employ through the means of fishing attacks where employees of an organizations are tricked into providing details of their credentials with the help of deceptive tactics. They nay also end up clicking a link that download ransomware software, or otherwise known as malware, into the computer. However, a more recent direct infection USB device of people is becoming increasingly common. This pertains to hackers gaining physical access to data centers.

There has been an increase in the types of attacks that attack critical functions and infrastructure. For instance, a recent attack on a water facility was a big scare. The breach briefly changed the chemical operations of a facility in way that endangered lives. Other attacks have targeted gas pipes and hospitals as well.

Get an MSP to Stay Safe

There are many measures that you can take to stay away from the increasingly evolving malware attacks. Education is the most impactful method of tackling the cyber threats. Research shows that workers that are aware of the scale and tactics of deploying these cyber attacks are eight times less likely to fall victim.

Other protective measures include siding with an MSP, or managed service provider. Prescient Solutions is a service that can help protect your IT by employing some of the advanced cyber security integrations to your business network. Find out more by filling out their online form.