CS Mar-Apr 2024

2024 predictions
?? ?
security is the key to maintaining effective zero
trust network segmentation that stops ransomware
in its tracks. And keeping critical applications
and data segmented, isolated and
protected from automated attacks.
"As any changes to device configurations -
planned or unplanned - can expose networks
and enable lateral movement through
privilege escalation, organisations have woken
up to the fact that it's no longer enough to
assess devices once a quarter. Particularly as
changes are potential indicators of compromise
(IOCs) and should be assessed immediately.
But achieving continuous network assurance
in a practical way has previously been a
challenge. 2024 should see organisations
investing in solutions that change all this.
"Proactively assessing network changes, as
they occur, to determine when changes result
in deviation away from a secure state - and
then overlaying this risk data with ATT&CK
vectors and adversary tactics, techniques and
procedures (TTP)s - takes RBVM to the next
level. Especially when we consider that less
than 4% of known exploited vulnerabilities,
according to CISA, have ever been used by
attackers in the wild."
And Robinson concludes: "Looking at
vulnerabilities through an attacker's lens
enables organisations to determine where they
need to deploy resources to harden their
networks to the best effect. Through this risk
lens, organisations can view both their current
posture to techniques being used in the wild
and inform threat hunting with historic
network posture analysis. Closing the loop,
channelling remediation efforts on known
exploited vulnerabilities that are most likely to
be exploited right now, will help prevent any
nasty surprises in 2024."
TIM FREESTONE, CHIEF STRATEGY AND
MARKETING OFFICER, KITEWORKS
Despite bans and restrictions, the number
of businesses using generative artificial
intelligence (GenAI) large language models
(LLMs) are increasing as the competitive
advantages become too significant to
ignore, insists Tim Freestone, chief strategy
and marketing officer, Kiteworks.
"Even with advances in security controls,
data breaches stemming from GenAI LLM
misuse will rise in 2024. This will force data
security to be a central part of GenAI LLM
strategies," he states.
"Managed file transfer (MFT) tools are
useful for the digital transfer of data.
However, many are based on decades-old
technology that have inherent security
deficiencies. Two major MFT tools experienced
zero-day exploits in 2023. It is likely
that rogue nation-states and cybercriminals
will continue to exploit such vulnerabilities
in legacy MFT solutions in 2024, too."
Email remains the number one attack
vector, he adds. "However, like legacy MFT
solutions, legacy email systems lack modern
security capabilities. Until organisations
embrace an email protection gateway
where email is sent, received and stored
using zero-trust policy management with
single-tenant hosting, email security will
remain a serious risk factor."
Data privacy is a global concern. "Gartner
predicts that personal data for threequarters
of the world's population will be
covered by data privacy regulations by the
end of 2024 and the average annual
budget for privacy in a company exceed
$2.5 million."
In 2024, businesses will be under
heightened strain to protect confidential
data, Freestone adds. "It is time for
organisations to hit the reset button.
"Only by adopting zero-trust architectures,
detailed security models based on content,
strong access management, integrated
DRM, DLP and the like, can organisations
mitigate the risks and uphold compliance."
Irvin Shillingford, Hornetsecurity: the
proliferation of generative AI has ushered
in a new era of cyber-attacks.
Tim Freestone, Kiteworks: data breaches
stemming from GenAI LLM misuse will
rise in 2024.
www.computingsecurity.co.uk @CSMagAndAwards March/April 2024 computing security
21