2024 is the year that cybersecurity will change forever. The rise of generative AI in 2023 opens up avenues for defense as well as new threats.
In addition to ChatGPT and Google Gemini, AI is increasingly used to strengthen defenses against cyber threats. Threat actors will increasingly use AI to create new threats faster and more dangerous.
The growing threat of AI has increased the importance of cybersecurity. This applies to home users, small businesses, and organizations.
Cybersecurity trends for 2024
Google's 2024 Cybersecurity Forecast identifies AI as a key cybersecurity trend for 2024, and it's not alone in its assessment.
Rise of AI
Artificial intelligence, or more precisely large-scale language models, is experiencing exponential growth in 2023 and early 2024. While news coverage focuses on the generative aspects of AI, artificial intelligence is paving the way for new cybersecurity applications.
AI will be used by threat actors, security companies, researchers, and others alike.
AI is a tool and can be used for good or bad. Countries such as the United States are already drafting new laws to protect against harmful AI-generated content, including deepfakes.
Use of AI by threat actors
Attackers are incorporating AI into their operations.
- Create advanced phishing campaigns.
- Improve our documentation, website, and other content.
- Create a deepfake.
- Coding new malware.
- Create a fake chatbot.
- Analyze stolen data faster.
- scale operation.
For example, deepfakes are already a widespread problem. AI allows attackers to create deepfakes using images, videos, or audio of any person. The better the source material, the better the deepfake will be and the harder it will be to detect it as fake.
Celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Taylor Swift and Barack Obama have already been the subject of deepfake videos posted online. Although celebrities have been prominently targeted, deepfakes can be created of any person, living or dead.
Deepfakes can be entirely audio-based. It takes less than 1 minute to create an AI voice clone of a human voice if the voice data is voice cloned.
AI and machine learning can help automate code or write functions and code from scratch. Automation has the potential to speed up the creation of malware, including new strains of malware created entirely by AI.
Data can also be analyzed faster with the help of AI. Threat actors may use AI to extract critical data from vast datasets more quickly.
Utilizing AI in cybersecurity
The use of generative AI in cybersecurity is still in its infancy. Products like Microsoft's Copilot for Security are already helping security researchers and professionals in several ways.
- Analysis of large datasets and data signals.
- Recommend actions based on your analysis.
- Draft reports, presentations, and summaries.
- Provide guidance using natural language.
Google announced that it is introducing AI tools to improve the security of core services such as Gmail.
Ransomware remains a major threat
Ransomware attacks skyrocketed in 2023. This can be largely attributed to the rise of ransomware-as-a-service products, which make ransomware kits available to more users. These kits require less technical expertise and are often less expensive.
While organizations remain the primary targets of ransomware attacks, individuals continue to be targeted as well.
Ransomware creators will begin leveraging AI to create sophisticated attacks that will become more difficult to detect and defend against.
Ransomware continues to be the top threat in Allianz Risk Barometer 2024's 2024 Top Business Risks report.
cloud service attack
Cloud services continued to grow in 2023. IDC Research reports that in the first half of 2023 alone, it increased by 19.2%, and its revenue for that period reached $315.5 billion.
As organizations and individuals continue to migrate data and services to cloud infrastructure, attacks on cloud-based platforms will increase.
There are many different types of cloud computing attacks, including:
- A denial of service (DoS) attack that blocks access to Internet resources.
- Account takeover.
- Misconfigurations can allow an attacker to bypass security protections or access improperly protected data.
- Distribution of malware.
New trends such as remote work and telecommuting will continue to have an impact in 2024. These trends require robust remote access solutions to protect users and data from a growing number of threats.
Rise in IoT cyberattacks
The number of users and devices connected to the Internet continues to grow. Estimates suggest that about two-thirds of the world's population should have access to the internet by mid-2024.
This number pales in comparison to the number of Internet of Things devices expected by 2025. It is estimated that around 64 billion IoT devices will be available by then.
Security updates for these devices, as well as protection features, remain critical to combating the increasing number of attacks targeting these devices.
The creation of standardized security protocols plays an important role.
The integration of AI services to monitor and control Internet of Things systems is also expected to see increased adoption from 2024 onwards.
5 tips to protect yourself in 2024
- Password manager and management
- Two-factor authentication and passkey
- Software and operating system updates
- Antivirus and security solutions
- backup
password management
Passwords will continue to be the primary form of authentication in 2024. Considering the significant increase in data breaches in 2023, choosing your own strong passwords is essential.
Here, the attacker targets a cloud database to analyze the user database. Weak passwords are common knowledge, and computer performance continues to improve.
Current generation computers crack 8-character passwords in less than 5 minutes, even if they include numbers, uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and symbols.
Password managers like NordPass and Bitwarden instantly create strong passwords and store them securely. It would take a modern computer 77 million years to crack a 16-character strong password.
Password managers can sync data across all your devices if your application supports the platform. This will ensure that all your passwords are available on all your devices.
Two-factor authentication and passkey
Second-factor authentication greatly improves security. Here, the user needs to distinguish between her two types:
- Weak two-factor authentication – These systems send the required code in clear text.
- Strong authentication – use of encryption or on-device generation.
Two-factor authentication apps, such as Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, and Aegis, securely generate codes on your mobile device.
Passkeys are a promising security standard. Using encryption keys instead of passwords provides the following benefits:
- The private key part never leaves the user's system.
- There are no passwords to remember.
The disadvantage is that it is not yet widely used. However, usage is increasing. Companies such as Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Google, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft already support passkeys.
Most operating systems, including Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS, support passkeys. More and more password managers are also adding support for passkeys.
Software and operating system updates
Software and operating system updates continue to play an important role in security. Many software companies release security updates on a regular basis. This applies not only to operating system updates, but also to applications such as web browsers and other important programs and apps.
In 2023, the threat of zero-day vulnerabilities is once again on the rise. Google observed 97 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild in 2023.
Of these, 61 target end-user platforms and 36 are enterprise-focused technologies. Major software such as operating systems and web browsers receive scheduled security updates.
For example, Google Chrome is updated once a week to fix security issues. Microsoft releases security updates for Windows once a month.
Discovering zero-day vulnerabilities
Antivirus and security solutions
Most operating systems include security protections. Microsoft's Windows operating systems are protected by Microsoft Defender by default.
Third-party security solutions may improve the security of your system. We may provide additional security features, such as access to advanced firewalls, online account monitoring, and access to VPN services.
Some antivirus solutions offer better protection than Microsoft Defender. In our latest AV comparison test on Windows, we found that the following security programs outperformed Microsoft solutions.
- avast free antivirus
- AVG Internet Security
- F-Secure Internet Security
- kaspersky standard
VPN, a virtual private network, protects user data, especially when connected to a public network. When connecting to a VPN server, all user data is encrypted and protected from tracking, manipulation, and copying.
backup
Backup will continue to play an important role in 2024. Backups can be stored locally, such as on an external hard drive or a network server, or in the cloud.
One of the main purposes of backup is to access your data after a disaster occurs. This doesn't have to be a cyberattack.
- Your hard drive may crash and your data may become corrupted.
- A ransomware attack can encrypt the data on your hard drive, making it inaccessible.
- Data can be deleted or modified by malware.
- A cyberattack on a website or server can take the website offline and cause data to be corrupted or altered.
Backups are useful in cases like this and when you are not affected by an attack or unexpected event. This is the main reason why it's important to keep your backups separate from your production machines and servers.
The role of software in cybersecurity
Cybersecurity refers to the tools and services used to protect devices, users, and data. The market is expected to cross the $200 billion level in 2024 and grow significantly in the coming years.
Security solutions are available to both end users and businesses. For example, home users may install antivirus software, encryption tools, or firewalls for protection.
Some of these tools may be hardware-based. Hardware-based firewalls have advantages over software-based solutions. It is often connected to a modem or router, so it protects any device connected to the modem or router.
Firewalls control Internet and network traffic. They allow legitimate traffic and block malicious or unwanted traffic.
On the software side, AI is becoming increasingly important. This year, Microsoft launched Copilot for Security to help organizations detect threats and resolve incidents.
Home security solutions improve the security of your home devices and network. Although these are paid, they offer features that free security solutions don't offer.
Smart home cybersecurity devices and software
- Avast Premium Security adds a wide range of security tools and defenses to your Windows systems. These include network inspection, hacking alerts, special modes for banking transactions, sandboxing, and advanced firewalls.
- Bitdefender Internet Security is a complete solution to protect your Windows devices from threats. Provides protection against malware, ransomware, phishing, scams, and spam.
- Firewalla is a hardware firewall solution that protects all devices connected to the same network. Built-in VPN, parental controls, ad blocker, and more.
- VPN services serve multiple purposes. Sophisticated solutions like NordVPN include cybersecurity features such as threat protection. These are designed to stop malware and trackers before they reach your system.
