Top 15 Challenges Of Cyber Security In 2022 And Solutions To The Challenges Of Cyber Security

Recently, the cyber security challenges faced by almost all companies and organisations are similar. These companies, individuals, enterprises, governments and businesses who are faced with these top challenges of Cyber security find it difficult to bridge these challenges. Hence it has become a concern for all parties involved with cyber affairs. In this post, we list the Top 15 Challenges Of Cyber Security or Cyber Security threats In 2022 And Solutions To The Challenges Of Cyber Security.

The ability to maintain data safety has become an enormous challenge, especially in this time when the internet has taken absolute control of our daily affairs. These challenges have led many to study cyber security as a program. Others keep making important research about improving cyber security. Researchers such as R. Walters and his coworker Novak have discussed Cyber security to be a global topic.

News of data breaches nowadays is very common. This has led businesses to confusion about cyber security or cyber resilience which one to embrace. Most organisations are still not measuring up with most of these top challenges of cyber security to date. It is therefore important for you to know the company’s cyber security preparedness before banking on them to safeguard your data.

To ensure that you keep up to date with your data safety, we have compiled the list of the 15 most common cyber security problems top businesses and organisations face regularly.

List Of The Top 15 Biggest Challenges Of Cyber Security In 2022

Here are the most common forms of cyber-attacks or cyber threats encountered by organisations in recent times.

  1. Inability Recognise Cyber Attacks
  2. Insider Attacks
  3. Ransomware Attacks
  4. Breach of Data
  5. Internet of Things (IoT) Attacks
  6. Cloud Attacks
  7. Lack of plans for cyber resilience
  8. Phishing Attacks/Phishing Scam
  9. Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Attacks
  10. Vulnerable Software/Outdated Software
  11. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Attacks
  12. Missing Security Patches
  13. Bring Your Own Device (BOYD) Policies
  14. Outdated Hardware
  15. No Existing Backup Plans

The list is inexhaustive as different organisations may face other challenges of cyber security. These are the top cyber security threats of 2022. Let us discuss them in detail as they affect cyberspace generally.

  1. Inability Recognise Cyber Attacks

To solve a problem or sickness requires first of all diagnosing such ailment. How then do you solve a problem you are not aware of? The inability of small firms to realize that their data is under attack or can attract cyber-attacks has become one of the major cyber Security threats.

Organisations need to put in best practices to curb the rates of these attacks especially as financial data such as credit card details are stored online. They need to keep their eyes on the ground to become aware of the impending dangers.

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  1. Insider Attacks

As organisations keep recruiting staff with cyber abilities, these staffs are given access to the organisation’s data. If these employees are not well informed or if they have malicious intents, they can make the company vulnerable to competitors.

The effects of such acts can be damaging to the company’s reputation. It is therefore of the organisation’s interest to monitor data flow. The inbound and outbound traffic of the company should be paid maximum attention to. Companies can install firewall devices that can coordinate data utilizing a centralized server. Another way to handle insider attacks is by ensuring that staff have limited access to online files and data.

  1. Ransomware Attacks

In the past, ransomware attacks have been the major challenge of cyber security and today, it is still a challenge. The term ransomware attack is used to describe a cyber-attack where one’s data is hacked into and he/she is demanded to pay a ransom amount before he/she gets access to such data again.

When ransomware attacks occur, businesses lose access to their data. This means that their activities for that period are truncated. Organisations should avoid ransomware attacks at all costs as most times the attackers do not release the data even when a ransom is paid. They threaten to expose the data or even sell the information.

  1. Breach of Data

The issue of a data breach has increased recently, especially since the outbreak of Covid 19. This is because many organisations requested their staff to work from home. Employees tend to connect to the company’s networks without approved devices and this can cause a data breach.

To ensure that data breaches are regulated, organisations are required to constantly validate and authorise all users before they are granted login access. This system is applied by top government agencies and parastatals such as the White House.

Another major source of a data breach is the use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Attackers capitalise on their access through virtual networks to breach data flow. Firms are advised to encourage two-factor authentication and multifactor authentication in order to prevent data breaches and avoid Cyber Security threats like this.

  1. Internet of Things (IoT) Attacks

The use of IoT devices such as desktops, laptops, mobile phones etc. has equally contributed to the top challenges of cyber security. IoT devices are devices that can transmit data over a network on their own. The rate at which IoT devices are used has increased and this has also led to an increase in the difficulties encountered in cyber security.

When these devices are attacked, sensitive user data are equally accessed and keeping these devices safe is a top challenge of cyber security. Access to these devices is automatically a roadmap to other security breaches.

  1. Cloud Attacks

The use of cloud services to store data has become rampant for both private and public users. These have also increased the interest in hacking cloud storage platforms and as such amounts to cyber insecurity. The use of cloud storage facilities such as google drive, Microsoft OneDrive etc. has enhanced cloud computing and also exposed organisations to cloud attacks.

  1. Lack Of Plans For Cyber Resilience

Cyber Resilience is a term used to describe an organization’s ability to steadily deliver the intended outcome, even in the face of challenging cyber events/threats. Just like cybersecurity, cyber resilience is gradually taking the world by storm. It comprises both information security, business continuity and organizational resilience.

The lack of plans for cyber resilience has turned out to become a major cyber security challenge. To maintain cyber security, resilient approaches such as ensuring corporate security policies should be adopted by businesses and organisations. This way they can outline what is acceptable and what is not. They should put in place an effective cyber resilience program to maintain cyber safety.

  1. Blockchain And Cryptocurrency Attacks

Cryptocurrency has turned out to be the most valuable asset these days for organisations and businesses. This is owing to the rapid growth of the blockchain and cryptocurrency market and the crypto transactions are done digitally. As a result of this, organisations are faced with the challenges of identity theft and other forms of security breaches.

These security issues have made the blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks become one of the major cyber threats this year. Hackers have capitalised on the vulnerabilities encountered in the blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies to cause damage to organisations.

Therefore, these organisations should make maximum preparations to ensure that every leaking pipe is shut up. This will reduce the extent of blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks and serve as Solutions To Cyber Security Challenges like blockchain and cryptocurrency attacks.

  1. Phishing Attacks/Phishing Scam

Phishing attack or phishing scam has also impeded cyber security in recent times and has continuously done so to date. Unlike ransomware attacks which are majorly for ransom purposes, when phishing attacks are carried out, the hacker takes advantage of the information acquired.

When the hacker gains access to confidential data such as credit card detail, instead of blocking out the owner from using it, they use it. Some even go ahead to make purchases with the credit cards they got online. The hackers do not inform their victims. They keep using the data until the victim finds out.

Phishing attacks have become one of the most predominant forms of cyber-attacks faced by both government agencies, individuals and organisations both big and small. The best way to prevent phishing attacks is for organisations to map out access control guidelines. They can also make provisions for staff training in cyber security in order to protect themselves better and efficiently. This will serve as a deterrent to these kinds of Cyber Security threats.

  1. Vulnerable Software/Outdated Software

The issues of software getting outdated or vulnerable should have been a thing of the past by this time, but we still encounter this today. The inability of the organisations to get an original copy of the software from a direct source can lead to installing vulnerable software.

As more and more digital devices are used, the tendency of getting vulnerable software is at a higher rate. When even the best and most authentic copies of the software are gotten and installed, the organisations often fail to update them when they get out of date.

It is therefore very important to keep the software updated so as to maintain secured cyberspace. The software manufacturers also use the newer version to fix issues that might lead to security breaches in the previous versions.

  1. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Attacks

The use of Machine Learning and AI technologies may have been of enormous importance but they also pose challenges in the cyber security industries. Hacks exploit these technologies to attack organisations and firms. These attacks pose a very serious challenge to cyberspace as there are no technologies in place to counter them.

  1. Missing Security Patches

The lack of security patches on equipment such as a laptop is very common. Although many firms ignore the awareness of missing security patches and this no matter how small makes them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Generally, the essence of these security patches is to curb the effects of identified vulnerabilities. The best Solutions To Cyber Security Challenges such as this is therefore to ensure that security patches are not found missing.

  1. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policies

The rate at which Bring Your Own Device policy works in some organisations is not encouraging to cyber security. Organisations allow their employees to come to work with their own devices to make working easier for them. This system although economical is quite risky for these organisations.

When these devices’ software is not up to date or they have pirated versions of the software installed, this becomes a serious security challenge for these organisations. Hackers can easily penetrate through these loopholes and access confidential business files and data. This is one of the major cyber security threats and organisations should do away with BYOD policies.

  1. Outdated Hardware

In as much as you can update software to fix vulnerabilities, what can you do to hardware? When there is a software update which is not compatible with the hardware on the device, there becomes an avenue for breach. So organisations are required to frequently ensure that the hardware they work with is in proper conditions and suitable for the software to function efficiently. These will serve as Solutions To Cyber Security Challenges of outdated software.

  1. No Existing Backup Plans

This seems uncommon nowadays but it happens. Some organisations do not make provisions for backups. This is because they do not consider it necessary or they don’t see it as a security precaution. Most times organisations rely on cloud storage as a means of data storage. This is absolutely a good idea, but what if their cloud storage faces a phishing attack which is also one of the top challenges of cyber security or Cyber Security threats.

Companies who are unable to back up their files or data be it online or offline are faced with a potential cyber security problem they do not know about. When ransomware attacks are carried out on these firms and they are unable to meet up with the ransom, they lose everything they have laboured for.

No existing backup plan is a challenge of cyber security on its own, how much more other consequences that come with it. In case you wish to know what exactly Cyber security is or would want to know why you should study cyber security then read that up here

Solutions To The Challenges Of Cyber Security In 2022

As these major challenges of cyber security continue to grow, organisations must devise simple low cost but effective means to avoid them or overcome these challenges. In order to ensure data and device safety, these simple measures should be adopted. Here are some of the Solutions To The Challenges Of Cyber Security in 2022 in simple steps

  1. Organisations should use the latest hardware and software for their digital needs.
  2. They should ensure that only authentic software is installed at all times.
  3. Organisations should at all times install firewalls to serve as an extra security layer.
  4. They should discourage the Bring Your Own Device policies and as well provide secured devices to their workers.
  5. The addition of extra security layers such as One Time Password (OTP), Captcha authentications, email authentication, etc should be put in place.
  6. They should also hire cyber security professionals who will from time to time update their employees.
  7. Organisations and businesses should have restrictions on sensitive data and ensure that damaged devices are not used until they are properly fixed.

Conclusion

The challenges of Cyber security are too many and every organisation or business should get to know them. These Top 15 Challenges Of Cyber Security In 2022 listed here is an eye-opener of the many more challenges in computer security. As there are many new technologies evolving today, so does each of them come with its challenge. This means that organisations and businesses should be up and doing at all times to mitigate the threats posed by these upcoming technologies.

On the other hand, taking the steps listed in the Solutions To The Challenges Of Cyber Security In 2022 can equally help you overcome these challenges.

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