By its very nature, cyber security is constantly changing, with new trends and developments every year (if not every month!)
This year promises to be a period of innovation and shifts in data protection strategies, which is why we’ve compiled a list of some of the most essential skills and trends that cybersecurity professionals need to have.
From identifying and using artificial intelligence to implementing ideas like Zero Trust and DevSecOps, and even sharpening those soft skills, these are the most in-demand trends that you should learn — and write on your CV once you’re well-versed in these key skills!
The Ability To Use and Fight AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had an impact on virtually every aspect of the IT industry, and cybersecurity is no exception.
Attackers typically use AI to automate their attacks and quickly adapt by creating deepfakes to enter security systems.
According to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), “machine learning has the potential to increase both the scale and success rate of spear phishing and social engineering attacks.”
These concerning developments are exactly why cybersecurity specialists should stay on top of the latest trends in 2024 and beyond, especially when it comes to ‘taming’ AI and using it for their own good.
Understanding how to train and deploy these technologies will be essential for staying ahead of rapidly evolving cyber threats.
Next-Level Phishing Attacks
Speaking of artificial intelligence… Phishing attacks have been one of the most popular tools for cyber criminals in the last three decades, but with the mass-market scale of AI, phishing has moved to a whole new level.
Thanks to artificial intelligence’s capabilities (think OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Bard), attackers are becoming more cunning and sophisticated when it comes to writing text and analysing logic.
In fact, ChatGPT made headlines earlier this year when it was able to pass graduate-level exams at a number of universities, including the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
Scammers are using ChatGPT for their own benefit, however, by asking it to write savvy emails that sound as if it came from an actual business.
A recent study by IBM had a team use the AI tool to write a phishing email in less than 5 minutes and send it to 1,600 employees at an unspecified global healthcare company.
In the end, nearly 200 employees were scammed by clicking on the letter written by ChatGPT.
Interestingly, artificial intelligence can also be used against ‘itself’ by identifying and protecting against malicious cybersecurity threats — something that should be a major focal point in 2024.
Zero Trust
Continuing the trend of deepfake technology and artificial intelligence, the concept of Zero Trust is gaining more and more popularity.
Zero Trust security is based on the idea that nobody is to be trusted inside a network, and everyone must undergo constant checks and validation.
In 2024, this concept will become not only a technical model for network security, but also an adaptive system enabled by real-time AI-powered continuous authentication and activity monitoring.
The traditional perimeter-based model is slowly shifting to include Zero Trust strategies like micro-segmentation, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring, which is key to improving overall security.
Cloud Security Skills
While cloud computing is nothing new — Amazon Web Service (AWS) was launched in 2002, after all — more and more businesses are switching to cloud environments instead of stationary servers.
This means cybersecurity specialists must be well-versed in cloud computing technologies in order to protect and repel attacks against enterprises and private entities.
In 2024, specialists must understand the strengths and weaknesses of cloud services — in fact, there’s even a special discipline of cybersecurity called cloud security that’s dedicated to keeping data private across online-based infrastructure.
Integrating DevSecOps
In 2024, integrating security into the DevSecOps process will gain more popularity than ever.
DevSecOps, which stands for Development, Security, and Operations, is a concept that involves teams from the three aforementioned departments to collaborate together and implement security practices early on.
Examples of typical DevSecOps practices include constantly monitoring and reviewing security design, scanning code for any vulnerabilities, and quickly fixing bugs that threaten their technology.
This approach will be especially important in 2024 and beyond, as it helps reduce the chance of hacking before something actually happens.
Incident Response and Threat Hunting
Cybersecurity is not only focused on preventing cyber attacks, but also being able to respond effectively to them.
Cybersecurity professionals must be able to quickly implement a response plan and eliminate the source of the attack.
Likewise, threat hunting skills— which include proactively looking for signs of malicious activity in the network, system, or code — become critical to identifying and mitigating potential threats before they escalate.
Soft Skills
In addition to technical knowledge, it’s also important for cybersecurity specialists to have soft skills such as communication and the ability to express their thoughts in a structured manner; be able to handle stress and high-pressure situations; and organizational skills.
For example, communication skills will help cybersecurity specialists explain complex concepts or thoughts to colleagues, while stress tolerance and organizational skills are a must to keep a level head in stressful situations.
Come 2024, more and more employers will be looking for cybersecurity specialists who can demonstrate these soft skills.
