The speed at which technology develops doesn’t seem to decrease. Cyber threats, meanwhile, also continue to evolve and get more complex. World Computer Security Day is a great opportunity to take stock and evaluate whether your cybersecurity systems can hold up against emerging threats. Here’s what you need to watch out for in 2025 if you want to secure your network.
Holistic Approach to IT/OT Security
One of the consequences of global digital transformation was the IT/OT convergence, which brought about a unique set of challenges in cybersecurity. The traditional security conventions when it comes to IT security and OT security, separately, don’t seem to cover the vulnerabilities created by the IT/OT convergence.
Integration of IoT devices to closed networks, remote access points and cloud-based applications have now become serious danger factors when it comes to enterprise cybersecurity. If precautions are not taken correctly, the interconnected IT/OT systems can mean a larger attack surface, increased data breach costs, and more difficulty in even identifying the breach.
The solution lies in a holistic approach: Having centralized control over all data movements, and continuously monitoring, auditing, and verifying all data. Physically isolating networks and using unidirectional gateways like DataDiodeX helps with microsegmentation, as well as reducing the attack surface and breach costs.
Email Security is a Must
According to research, phishing and stolen or compromised credentials were the 2 most prevalent attack vectors in 2024. This means that no matter how long we’ve been using emails, enterprises still need to prioritize email security in all its vectors. As well as informing employees on what they need to watch out for, stakeholders must invest in a robust email security gateway solution to ensure security.
An innovative email gateway solution like DataMessageX ensures safety in enterprise communication systems by constantly verifying all data movement and user behavior. With its unique machine-learning engine, DataMessageX can detect and mitigate threats. If an email gateway is also supported by a reputation and threat sensor network, like DataFlowX’s DMXCloud, it can also constantly update itself with new types of attacks informed by its threat intelligence.
Social Engineering & Malicious Insiders
The human factor remains one of the most important attack vectors in 2024. Gaining access to a closed network via social engineering is still very much possible, in fact, it’s one of the most prevalent attack factors.
Training is one half of the security protocol you must follow in order to protect your network. Teaching your employees about social engineering and how to handle such situations can prevent an attack before it happens. But the human factor also calls for strong precautions. This reveals the other half of the security protocol you must follow: Constant monitoring and authentication.
While an attack can be borne of social engineering, it can also be caused by a malicious insider. That’s why, even though they’re “insiders”, trusted users should also be re-verified regularly, ideally with each data transfer request.
External & Remote Access Should Be Monitored
Aggregated during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, remote access to private networks also creates another vulnerability. Even before the pandemic, we saw data storage become scattered; traditionally kept on-premises, data is now distributed across several environments including cloud systems. Replication through removable media was also a top attack vector in 2024.
Any kind of remote/external access should be considered suspicious before it’s allowed into a network. For enterprises using removable devices to acquire data, a physically separated data upload & control station like DataStationX is the perfect protection.
A physical data upload kiosk, DataStationX is like a sentinel guarding your closed network. You can physically isolate your closed network from any data carried on removable media devices and mitigate any suspicious files before they can even reach the network itself.
Zero-Day Vulnerabilities
Every software and hardware has bugs, no matter how fast technology is advancing—it’s in their nature. These bugs can be exploited by malicious attackers as they consequently create a vulnerability, an entry point. Researchers found that in 2024, attacks using zero-day vulnerabilities were the most time-consuming to contain.
The way to combat this vulnerability is by adopting a Zero Trust cybersecurity model. Embracing least-privilege access in all operations, strict control over data movements, constant verification and physically isolating the sensitive network using unidirectional gateways such as DataDiodeX & DataBrokerX is recommended to stay protected.
Zero Trust Architecture with DataFlowX
In 2024, the top 2 cybersecurity investment areas were suspicious incident/threat detection and response. DataFlowX offers a complete suite of solutions to all organizations with critically sensitive networks, matching their every need in cybersecurity. Developing the building blocks of Zero Trust Architecture, DataFlowX addresses all potential vulnerabilities with robust security measures.
Get in contact with us today and upgrade your security to match your future needs.
Sources:
SANS, 2024 State of ICS/OT Cybersecurity
IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024