Cyber Defense eMagazine February Edition for 2023

In the coming months and beyond, one of the most difficult challenges will be to retain talent while
simultaneously improving a trust-based system that extends beyond the perimeter of the organization.
Service industry workers turn cybersecurity professionals.
More businesses, in addition to large companies such as Amazon, will look to fill open positions within
their own organizations, leading to the transition of workers in the service industry becoming
cybersecurity professionals. These employees possess the fundamental skill sets needed for security
roles.
The most significant difference will be in the additional knowledge they require, which can be taught
through on-the-job training. Companies may shift their focus and bet on individuals that understand the
know-how of their organization, allowing them to become experts within the same institution. The
question for this year is how organizations transitioning to this new model will train and reskill employees
to fulfill the entire range of security skills required.
Previously unthinkable breaches occurred.
The expectation for this year is to see an increase on well-funded hacker groups target the ‘whales.’
Those big companies – like Microsoft and Amazon – that people across the globe leverage at an
individual and professional level. Future attacks by cybercriminals will concentrate on additional
exploitation of credentials that have already been taken, as they have done with companies like Dropbox
and SolarWinds.
Companies will highlight the necessity for greater budget allocation toward programs that transfer security
responsibilities from users to the company, choosing seamless use that also keeps their corporate
perimeters tightly protected, to stay one step ahead of attackers. Identity-based security, with a focus on
zero-trust framework, will prove essential for handling human-centric and device vulnerabilities that will
continue to plague vulnerable remote and hybrid operations.
Third-party risks will shift companies’ approach to ‘trust.’
CISOs and companies’ security leaders will be compelled to pose more difficult questions about their
next steps, strategies, and mitigation procedures for integrating third parties within their network. In fact,
they will increase their attention to reviewing specific information in their security audits and reports and
take additional steps to implement more secure architectures, enhancing third parties' access.
Budgets will not increase, but leaders will consistently shift to cost-saving activities, while other cyber
hygiene tasks will become essential to protecting businesses’ expanding networks. Asking critical
questions and eliminating trust will be critical for verifying their trustworthiness and granting certain
access levels to external parties.
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