November 23, 2020
Data breaches and web application attacks have always been on the rise since the beginning of the world wide web. Over 200 million web application attacks were recorded in the third half of 2017 in the US alone. According to Purplesec’s cybersecurity statistics, 500,000 stolen Zoom passwords were available for sale in dark web crime forums this year. In fact, due to the covid-19 outbreak, it is estimated that there is a massive increase in cybercrimes by 600%.
Though companies and businesses are becoming more technologically advanced day by day, still way more than half of them are exposed to cyber threats and vulnerabilities due to a lack of resources. To tackle such issues and prevent the uptake in cybercrimes this year, it is needed to understand some of these various application security trends in 2020.
Incorporating ML and AI – With rapid advancements in the field of data sciences, various Machine Learning(ML) algorithms are proving to be greatly effective to secure data by implementing face recognition, fingerprint scanning or biometrics, and various other threat detection techniques. Artificial Intelligence(AI) is also effectively used to detect certain types of malicious cyber activities and threats. By integrating AI with ML, organizations can efficiently detect malware and ransomware threats and seclude them before they enter the system. Besides, through deep learning algorithms and AI structures, cybersecurity teams can strengthen their system’s security mechanisms.
Security for Cloud Computing – More and more businesses and organizations are shifting to cloud-based storage systems and cloud computing due to its immense number of advantages. But often organizations fail to allocate relevant cloud-based security measures to prevent security attacks, which lead to a noticeable increase in data breaches in the past 2 years. To overcome this, organizations are required to implement digital testing, cloud-application security testing, and include stricter security measures, and managed WAFs. The main component for cloud security that is infrastructure security is provided by the cloud vendor. But it is the job of the IT team of the organization to look out for threats associated with the hosted applications in the cloud.
Rising IoT Device and Mobile Application Attacks – Just like Machine Learning, the Internet of Things(IoT) has contributed significantly to smart technological advancements throughout the years. But together with its benefits comes consequential security compromises. It is known that most devices do not have a built-in security system. Therefore they become prone to various security threats during connection with other devices, resulting in data loss. Similarly, while developing mobile applications, security is not given much thought. This makes mobile devices vulnerable to various cyber-attacks. So it is required to run application security testing to enable security among the connected devices. More attempts to maximize security are seen among IoT and mobile devices this year.
Increasing Skill-gap and Investments in Cybersecurity – Since awareness regarding the need for cybersecurity among several organizations and businesses is escalating, the demand for qualified experts is increasing drastically. As a result, the year 2020 is observing a significant rise in investments in cybersecurity. The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals keeps sky-rocketing but the supply can’t keep pace with it. So many small businesses are starting to rely on SaaS vendors and technology solutions companies to meet their needs. This is creating a noteworthy cybersecurity skill gap. The need of the hour is to decrease this skill gap by increasing their workforce by implementing appropriate training and skill development.
Eternal Increase in Ransomware Attacks and Phishing – Cybercriminals throughout the world largely depend upon ransomware attacks and phishing for their income. And for security professionals, overcoming the threats posed by them are a never-ending process. Ransomware causes huge losses, not only for private organizations but also for government entities, healthcare centers, education institutes, etc. The development in technology is enabling the attackers to more enhanced phishing techniques causing huge loss of data, credentials, and capitals. Relevant security measures include end-to-end web and application security testing from security dedicated companies, and also training of employees under cybersecurity professionals.
The Latest Trend of ‘Serverless’ – Recently, the concept of ‘serverless’ is receiving increased popularity. While the application is stored only in the cloud, a third-party is utilized for its backend services. In other words, the cloud provider runs the server of the application. But just like any other cyber technology, serverless also comes with various security threats. Switching from traditional computing to serverless computing is no doubt convenient due to its various benefits like easy scaling and low cost. But the absence of proper measures regarding security may cause sufficient loss. So it is mandatory to identify all the vulnerabilities and risks. Despite the threats, this concept is becoming more and more popular and will have greater future scopes due to the flexibility that it offers which helps the developers to significantly reduce the complexity of the backend infrastructure.
Application security has always been a matter of great concern over the years for developers and cybersecurity experts. Though cyber crimes have always been on the rise, with the evolving technology, it is becoming easier to tackle such complications in 2019 and beyond.
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