As we edge into 2024, cybersecurity experts find themselves analysing the past year while envisaging future trends, challenges, and innovations. High-profile ransomware attacks and data breaches grabbed global attention in 2023, pushing industry professionals to predict how the industry will evolve in a landscape where Artificial Intelligence (AI) is enabling cybercriminals to upgrade their arsenal and a move towards cyber resilience prompts businesses to consider their next moves.

Johnny Carpenter, General Manager for EMEA at 11:11 Systems, an organisation specialising in managed infrastructure solutions including cloud security, highlights the top predicted cybersecurity trends for 2024. For businesses and security professionals alike, these concerns are expected to be of primary interest in the forthcoming year.

According to Carpenter, there will be an increased focus on cyber resilience. As organisations accept the harsh reality of cyber-attacks being near-inevitable, the ability to recover quickly from an attack, with minimal downtime and data loss, becomes a strategic objective. He argued, "The ability to quickly recover from an attack, while minimising the impact on the organisation will be a strategic objective."

An ongoing concern Carpenter addressed is the notable shortage of adequately skilled cybersecurity staff. The 2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed that while the cybersecurity workforce expanded by 8.7%, the void between available roles and potential recruits surged by 12.6% annually, indicating the necessity for amplified effort in nurturing this talent pool.

2024 is also predicted to witness rising sophistication in phishing and social engineering attacks. Generative AI is enabling cybercriminals to dish out more intelligent and personalised phishing schemes while the advancement in deepfake technology makes it increasingly challenging to validate the authenticity of images or videos.

The growing recognition of cybersecurity as a business risk mandates it as a strategic focus for corporate boards. Carpenter discussed the prediction made by Gartner, stating that, "By 2026, Gartner predicts that 70% of boards will include one member with cybersecurity expertise."

With the growth of remote workforces and application sprawl across various platforms, organizations look towards adopting Zero Trust Frameworks through Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE). The adoption of ZTNA and SASE could help businesses ensure secure, consistent, and performant policy across their remote users and applications.

Mr Carpenter summed up the situation, stating, "Ultimately, as threat actors gear up to use the new technologies that are at their disposal, companies will be exploring ways to stay a step ahead while preparing to withstand potential breaches and attacks with minimal downtime."