According to Cybersixgill, the pressures of regulation, ongoing consolidation, and geopolitical concerns may serve as catalysts for more strategic cybersecurity initiatives, incorporating cultural threat intelligence into the evolving landscape shaped by advancing AI technologies in both defensive and malicious cyber activities.
Cybersixgill envisions that cyber threat intelligence (CTI) will become a cornerstone of Threat Exposure Management (TEM), playing a pivotal role in informing critical strategic decisions made by organizational leaders. This trend is particularly evident as more entities embrace TEM—a proactive cybersecurity approach.
Sharon Wagner, the CEO of Cybersixgill, highlights the significant advancements in security over the past year, including the emergence of generative AI that enhances organizations’ risk intelligence capabilities. Wagner emphasizes the shift towards Threat Exposure Management, a consolidated system aimed at identifying and mitigating risks to fortify cyber defenses proactively.
The accessibility and relevance of curated threat intelligence are on the rise, offering valuable insights tailored to a company’s attack surface and the effectiveness of its defense mechanisms. These developments are expected to gain further traction in the coming years as security teams refine their strategies against malicious actors.
Advancements in AI
Cybersixgill anticipates a substantial enhancement in the scope and reliability of data by 2024, driven by advancements in AI technologies that elevate the quality and precision of outcomes. This progress will democratize AI access across various expertise levels, prompting companies to establish internal protocols while awaiting regulatory frameworks to address concerns around data privacy in the era of Artificial Intelligence. Although comprehensive guidelines may not materialize until 2025 or later, preliminary regulations could emerge in 2024 in the U.S. and other jurisdictions.
Threat actors are projected to leverage AI tools in 2024 to automate large-scale cyber assaults, orchestrate deceptive phishing schemes, and craft malicious content targeting businesses, employees, or customers, thereby amplifying the frequency and efficacy of their attacks. Organizations will increasingly fall victim to malicious tactics such as data poisoning and exploitation of AI model vulnerabilities, leading to inadvertent exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized entities. Similar to human adversaries, AI algorithms can be trained to identify and exploit network weaknesses.
Moreover, Cybersixgill foresees the rise of shadow AI misuse within organizations, encompassing scenarios where employees inappropriately utilize AI tools, potentially resulting in data breaches, compromised accounts, and heightened vulnerabilities in the company’s attack surface.
Proactive Security Measures by Businesses
In 2024, regulatory frameworks may heighten accountability for organizational cybersecurity among business leaders, especially as attack surfaces expand and cyber threats proliferate in scale and sophistication. Executives and professionals will need a deeper understanding of their company’s security protocols, procedures, and tools to effectively safeguard their digital assets. Cybersixgill predicts a surge in the appointment of cybersecurity experts to corporate boards to enhance cyber governance and meet stringent reporting requirements.
Sectors such as retail, healthcare, and finance will face mounting pressure to comply with updated monitoring mandates under PCI DSS v. 4.0 by March 2024. The imperative for proactive threat intelligence will intensify as organizations strive to mitigate risks, identify vulnerabilities consistently, and enhance their cyber resilience in response to these regulatory changes.
Cybersixgill also anticipates a broader adoption of TEM in 2024, an encompassing cybersecurity strategy underpinned by CTI. Consequently, there will be a growing demand for robust CTI solutions that offer targeted insights to significantly reduce business risks and operational vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, the integration of CTI with other capabilities like threat edge management, electric hazard protection, and AI is expected to gain prominence. As organizations assess the benefits of incumbent vendors, CTI may be recognized as a pivotal facilitator of corporate resilience.
Geopolitical Dynamics and Adversarial Motivations
With 40 regional elections slated for 2024 worldwide, Cybersixgill predicts a surge in cyberattacks targeting non-profit entities such as schools, hospitals, and public services as threat actors seek to exert influence and sow public discord beyond financial gains. This shift underscores the multifaceted intentions of malicious actors that extend beyond monetary incentives.
Cybercriminals are poised to commercialize their expertise through services like ransomware, malware dissemination, and DDoS attacks. The proliferation of ransomware technologies through established criminal syndicates is expected to fuel the expansion of affiliate programs, enabling a network of less skilled individuals to participate in extortion schemes, thereby broadening the pool of threat actors engaged in cyber malfeasance.
