2017 Cyber Security Trends
I’ve been reading quite a few articles on trends to expect for cyber security in 2017. These articles range from more ransomware, to less ransomware, to a major Internet of Things (IoT) focus. After being pulled in every direction possible, I decided to discuss potential trends with our Vice President of Cyber Security, Dodi Glenn. Here are his thoughts for trends in 2017,
“I think the biggest trend we will see is hackers targeting open source software. Vulnerabilities will be uncovered, similar to 2014, where software developers will be faced with patching products quickly. It will impact any company that utilizes common open source tools/applications, since their software will be vulnerable to attacks. Patching these holes in a timely manner will be critical for software developers. Today, cyber criminals act incredibly fast, and we have to try and be faster.”
What does this mean?
It means that cyber criminals are going to find the security gaps that are leaving our precious data exposed. Once they find them, they’ll exploit them. Gaining access to your data. What they will do with it could be anyone’s guess. Encrypt the data and demand a ransom? Perhaps. Steal personal data and sell it on the dark web? Maybe. Insert a virus and load your computer with fake tech support options, telling you to have to get it fixed for a “small fee”? It’s possible.
So how do you stop it?
First, it is going to fall on the software developers to patch these security vulnerabilities in a timely manner. By timely, I mean as fast as humanly possible. Once the holes are patched, they need to push out updates.
That is when it falls onto the users to ensure their software is up to date. This is critical. In most cases, software companies will promptly fix whatever gaps are found. We as users, are less prompt with updating our programs, applications, and operating systems. We must do better. If we do not update, we are left with security holes. Holes that are now known about by every single cyber criminal.
Perhaps our 2017 resolution should be enhancing our data security by updating our computer’s software, systems, and applications in a timely fashion. PC Matic automatically fixes software vulnerabilities and updates common software, every time you scan your computer. Scans can also be automated, taking the guess work out of it all.
