7 Major Cybersecurity Threats Businesses Face Today—And How to Mitigate Them

As new cyber threats emerge each day, keeping up with the headlines can feel like a full-time job.

Thankfully, there are solutions available and experts who can help you navigate these changes. Today, we’re covering the top cybersecurity threats to keep you informed and prepared.

1. The Rise of AI-Powered Attacks

AI is changing everything—including cybercriminal activity. Unfortunately, it’s also opening up many avenues of attack. For example, cybercriminals are using machine learning to disrupt systems through evolving attacks. An advanced algorithm can use devices to make disruptive requests or attacks against a security system, eating up resources that can slow down a network or other hardware.

Things get more concerning when AI is leveraged against people. Phishing has been one of the most common ways to steal information and attack secure systems. With generative AI, cybercriminals can create more dangerous and convincing phishing content. Imagine a phishing email that tries to spoof the FBI. Now, imagine that same email improving the visual content, fake seals, and specific language to make it harder to detect.

As AI-powered phishing becomes more convincing, keeping employees trained to identify and mitigate these threats will prove more important and challenging in the coming years.

Thankfully, you can leverage AI against AI to fortify your security posture. Machine learning defensive tools can detect and adapt to threats. Additionally, you can implement automation into your defenses with great ease and at lower costs.

2. Increasing Importance of Zero Trust Architecture

Zero-trust architecture builds on the security principle that any device, at any time, could become a security risk. Because of this, every device must be authenticated at every security checkpoint. Networks should be segmented so that no device can access the whole network, and moving between segments requires additional authentication.

Least-access authorization strengthens zero-trust architecture by limiting users’ network access to only the parts they need.

That said, building a robust zero-trust architecture requires striking a balance between convenience and efficacy.

Here are a few tips to help:

Segment your network logically and then go back and create micro-segmentation later, increasing security over time.
Use multi-factor authentication (MFA) to improve the reliability of your zero-trust strategies.
Train employees in how the security changes work and why they matter. This helps with employee buy-in, a crucial element in any security plan.

3. The Expansion of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)

Ransomware-as-a-service is a subscription-based model where cybercriminals can pay a fee and gain access to powerful ransomware. This has made launching ransomware attacks easier and more affordable, even for cybercriminals with limited experience. According to CrowdStrike, RaaS plans can start for as little as $40 a month.

Ransomware is already a leading form of cyberattack. With this increase in accessibility, the rate of attacks is likely going to increase exponentially over time.

To protect your business from RaaS, utilize these key tips:

Backups: Create multiple backups stored locally and off-site. Test your backups regularly to ensure you can recover quickly after an attack.
Network Segmentation: Divide your network into smaller segments to mitigate the spread of ransomware.
Incident Response Plan: Create an incident response plan so you are prepared and can return to normal business operations quickly.
Employee Training: Cyber security awareness training helps individuals and organizations understand the risks and signs of RaaS, reducing your chances of making critical errors that jeopardize your business.

4. Cloud Security Innovations

As more businesses migrate to cloud services, it’s important to stay updated on cloud security trends. While the rapid adoption of the cloud can simplify and strengthen IT, it has also introduced new challenges that require innovative solutions such as the following:

Multi-cloud and hybrid environments allow businesses to use cloud resources from multiple providers instead of committing to an all-in relationship with one cloud solutions provider. This means that if one provider is attacked, your information stored with others will stay safe, reducing your overall risk.
Cloud-native security is an approach that builds security directly into cloud infrastructure from the beginning, extending protection all the way to cloud-enabled apps, ensuring end-to-end security.
Automated compliance is transforming cloud security by using AI to ensure security measures are functioning properly across all systems. Cloud providers can use AI to push automated compliance through all systems, standardizing security and minimizing vulnerabilities.
Identify and access management (IAM) enables businesses to centralize the management and access control of their different cloud environments.

5. The Growing Threat of Supply Chain Attacks

Supply chain attacks target your business through third-party vendors or software used by your business—and they are on the rise.

Cybercriminals can use apps to find vulnerabilities in open-source code, inject malicious code, and therefore affect (or infect) all associated applications and organizations that use the infected code, creating a snowball effect.

You can protect yourself from supply chain attacks by implementing third-party risk management. This systematic approach allows you to see exactly how you interact with third parties, what vulnerabilities they represent, and which custom safeguards you can implement to protect yourself.

6. The Rise of Cyber Security Mesh Architecture

Cyber Security mesh architecture is a relatively new concept that is transforming network security. Compared to traditional network perimeter security, where moving past a firewall and authentication check grants access to the entire network, mesh architecture requires security checks for every device or zone, resulting in significantly limited access for threat actors. Not only is this concept more secure and reliable, but it is more scalable without sacrificing network performance.

7. The Role of Quantum Computing in Cyber Security

Quantum computers use brute force to crack security algorithms in ways that aren’t possible with traditional computers. Although costly and rare, cybercriminals are quickly gaining access to them. To combat the rise in misuse of quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography was developed—a field dedicated to securing data against these powerful machines.

We strongly recommend that you start exploring how quantum-resistant encryption can protect your business as an excellent way to stay ahead of this emerging threat.

Partnering With Cyber Security Experts for Future-Ready Strategies

Cyber Security is evolving fast and in many directions. Thankfully, there are IT experts in your corner who can keep you informed and implement the most up-to-date security solutions to protect your business.