As the 2024 New Year has arrived, so does the opportunity to make educated predictions for what the future holds for cybersecurity. Fundamentally, a cybersecurity strategy is an integral component of business strategy because it allows the business to harness risk. Since cybersecurity is often driven by compliance mandates and overly restrictive policies, cybersecurity teams are sometimes seen as the “department of no.” However, that need not always be the case.
Often times, policies could be loosened to accelerate business objectives. For example, an organization might be inclined to block all access to generative AI services to avoid any compliance complications. But cybersecurity teams can identify the actual risks, thereby allowing the business to use these powerful tools to give them a competitive advantage over their competition. The first step to harnessing risk is capturing good metrics (like MTTD and MTTR in the context of a SOC) and driving them down.
So, what does 2024 have in store as enterprises continue to embrace cybersecurity as a business accelerator? Let’s explore.
The Integration Of AI And ML
First, let’s address the obvious: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will each continue their evolution as critical components to a holistic cybersecurity practice. IT leaders and enterprise stakeholders are jumping on this bandwagon as security vendors develop and promote new AI and ML features and capabilities.
In today’s highly complex hybrid networks, comprised of many services and processes operating over vast landscapes, traditional human monitoring and intervention are falling short. AI algorithms have proven to effectively scale cybersecurity efforts without a proportional increase in resources or personnel. This is largely due to AI’s ability to analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns indicative of cyber threats, such as malware or unusual network activity. The role of AI and ML in cybersecurity is no surprise, even for those outside the security realm.
Fight Fire With Fire: AI In Cybersecurity
On the flip side, as much as AI aids in cyber defense, it is a critical resource for threat actors as well. With generative AI and advanced language models, cybercriminals are gaining more experience in crafting highly personalized phishing attacks and sophisticated social engineering schemes. These attacks, enhanced with realistic voice and video elements, lack the typical red flags such as grammatical errors or cultural mismatches. AI also enables attackers to efficiently utilize the wealth of personal data available online, crafting convincing, individualized attacks in rapid fashion.
Rapid AI Development And Its Risks
The surge in AI's business applications has triggered a race to market new AI-driven apps. This urgency may lead to compromised security measures, as the push for rapid market entry sometimes overshadows the need for robust security controls and privacy considerations in the development process. Businesses must establish strong approaches for evaluating the inherent security posture of AI products and services, aiming to avert the challenges previously encountered with Internet of Things (IoT) integration. This assessment is a crucial component of a broader security strategy that encompasses all aspects of operations, including supply chain members. This comprehensive approach ensures a more secure and resilient business environment in our interconnected digital landscape.
Staying Ahead With AI In Cybersecurity
With AI technology advancing rapidly, keeping pace is daunting for security teams. At WEI, we are committed to staying abreast of both the beneficial and challenging aspects of AI's role in cybersecurity. Our portfolio features some of the most reputable cybersecurity vendors in the industry, and our certifications within those vendors reside at the expert level. We are here to guide you in selecting the right AI-enhanced cybersecurity solutions tailored to your business's unique needs. We can also assist you in creating procedures to effectively assess the security posture of your many partners as well.
A Persistent Cybersecurity Talent Gap
Just days before 2024, there are 3.5 million cybersecurity positions with no suitable candidate to fill. Incredibly, 750,000 of these vacancies are here in the United States. Although the surge in job openings isn't expected to mirror the staggering 350% increase witnessed in the past decade, filling these roles remains a significant challenge. The talent gap shortage in qualified candidates will expand through 2025, according to projections.
One reason for the continued skills shortage is knowledge requirements evolving so rapidly as candidates must fuse together a growing number of new skillsets from many disparate domains. Further complicating the issue, companies often rely on traditional talent pools to recruit for these roles. With many security directors and managers vying for the same candidates, the professionals in these pools can be highly selective, further elongating the job fulfillment process. The candidates within these shrinking pools have the luxury of being exceptionally selective – much more so than in year’s past.
Companies Will Create Their Own Talent Pipelines
In response to the pressing need for cybersecurity professionals, companies are increasingly adopting proactive approaches to cultivate their own cybersecurity talent. This involves forging partnerships with local educational institutions to create training programs tailored to their specific needs. Such initiatives often include apprenticeships and internships, providing students with the hands-on experience necessary to transition into entry level full-time positions within these businesses.
A prime example of this approach is the WEI Technical Apprenticeship for Diverse Candidates program. This program stands out because it not only nurtures a private talent pool of emerging professionals, but also emphasizes the inclusion of candidates from diverse backgrounds, catering to companies with diversity objectives. Furthermore, WEI manages the entire process, from understanding a company's specific needs to the meticulous selection and daily mentoring of apprentice candidates. Participating companies have the option to offer full-time positions to these apprentices upon contract completion, providing a streamlined pathway to acquire skilled, diverse cybersecurity talent. Never has a hidden talent pipeline been so invaluable.
Security Solutions Will Further Evolve
Cyber attacks have become a big (and profitable) business. To keep pace with the quantity and sophistication of emerging attacks, companies are increasingly relying on modern security operation centers (SOCs) that are dedicated to safeguarding their organizations. To be effective, however, requires advanced solutions that SOC analysts can leverage to stay ahead of the accelerating threat landscape. Key components of these solutions include:
- Effective Preventative Controls: Many attacks can be blocked, but only if the correct preventative controls are in place, and importantly, those controls are configured properly. Integration between controls further reduces risk.
- Security Analytics: Effectively detecting and eliminating threats requires vast amounts of data collection and processing. Visibility blind spots are a problem, but so is being inundated with low value data.
- Automated Playbooks: Workflows that integrate processes across various security tools, external teams, and even end users can be automated. These playbooks handle repetitive tasks, allowing analysts to focus on critical decision-making and investigative work.
- Real-Time Threat Intelligence: Accessing up-to-the-minute, global threat intelligence feeds to remain informed about emerging cyber threats, attack vectors, and vulnerabilities.
In 2024 and the years following, companies cannot safely rely on a patchwork approach. Legacy SOC architectures are complex with many interdependent tools and processes housed within them. Many current SOC’s were built 15 years ago when the threat landscape was very different and the threat actors being less capable. Today, these brittle and hard to maintain platforms struggle to deliver the response and resolution times that are required, which leads to SOC analyst burnout and disappointing outcomes.
To keep pace, corporations continue to try to hire their way out of this problem with little effect. It doesn’t have to be this way, as WEI offers advanced security stacks designed to meet the needs of any business or SOC. Boasting a team of over 80 experienced engineers, WEI's security division works in close collaboration with hundreds of IT companies, ensuring the delivery of customized, specific, and effective solutions for our diverse range of customers.
One Final New Year’s Trait
Alongside the annual tradition of making predictions, the 2024 New Year also offers the opportunity to set resolutions. If your company aims to enhance its security posture, achieve better compliance, or explore fresh ideas and solutions for the upcoming year, we encourage you to consult with a WEI security specialist.
Our experts are ready to understand your specific goals for the New Year and will provide insights on how WEI can help turn those resolutions into tangible outcomes to ensure that 2024 is, in fact, a Happy New Year.
