Incident Response, Network Security, TDR, Vulnerability Management

Report: IoT data leaks, unreported vulnerabilities, among top threats that lay ahead

Internet of things (IoT) devices leaking data, unreported vulnerabilities, and the growing capabilities of cybercriminals are just a few of the emerging cyberthreats challenging organizations, according to research from the Information Security Forum (ISF).

To help business adapt to the changing landscape of cybersecurity, a summary of ISF's Threat Horizon 2018 report listed the top nine emerging cyber threats that organizations should lookout for over the next two years along with recommendations to deal with each threat.

The top three threats are grouped into the theme of technology adoption expanding the threat landscape and include: Internet of things (IoT) devices leaking information, opaque algorithms compromising integrity, and rogue governments using terrorist groups to launch cyber attacks, the report said.

Other top threats included unreported vulnerabilities and more powerful cybercriminals.

Organizations should beware of vulnerabilities not being reported as manufactures threaten legal action to silence researchers, according to the report.

Researchers recommend that businesses offer more financial rewards to ensure responsible disclosures and use mediation services to agree that satisfactory disclosure practices are followed.

Organizations may also face the threat of the technical capabilities of cybercriminals surpassing that of their own, according to the report.

“The ability of current control mechanisms to protect organisations is likely to diminish, exposing them to greater impact,” the report said.

ISF Managing Director Steve Durbin told SCMagazine.com in emailed comments that the ISF anticipates that rogue governments will provide more capabilities to terrorist groups to carry out destructive cyber-attacks.

“These groups will learn quickly and benefit from access to extended government networks, and formal and informal learning,” Durbin said.

Durbin said organizations large and small should take prompt action to interpret the increasingly complex threat horizon that could put an organization and its goals at risk. 


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