User Education, Cloud Security and XDR Are Critical for Cybersecurity in 2021

Trend Micro predicts that remote and cloud-based systems will be ruthlessly targeted next year

HONG
KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 9 December,
2020 – Trend Micro
Incorporated
( TYO: 4704 ; TSE: 4704 ), the leader in cloud security, predicts that home networks, remote working
software and cloud systems will be at the center of a new wave of attacks in
2021.

 

Trend
Micro’s predictions report, Turning
the Tide , forecasts
that cybercriminals in 2021 will particularly look to home networks as a
critical launch pad to compromising corporate IT and IoT networks.

 

“As we begin to enter a post-pandemic
world, the trend for remote working is likely going to stick for many
organizations. We predict more aggressive attacks to target corporate data and
networks,” said T ony Lee, Head of Consulting, Hong Kong and Macau,
at Trend
Micro. “Security teams will need to double down on user training, extended
detection and response and adaptive access controls. This past year was all
about surviving: now it’s time for businesses to thrive, with comprehensive
cloud security as their foundation.”

 

The report warns that end users who
regularly access sensitive data (e.g. HR professionals accessing employee data,
sales managers working with sensitive customer information, or senior
executives managing confidential company numbers) will be at greatest risk.
Attacks will likely exploit known vulnerabilities in online collaboration and
productivity software soon after they are disclosed, rather than zero-days.

 

Access-as-a-service business models of
cybercrime will grow, targeting the home networks of high-value employees,
corporate IT and IoT networks. IT security teams will need to overhaul work
from home policies and protections to tackle the complexity of hybrid
environments — where work and personal data comingle in a single machine.
Zero-trust approaches will increasingly be favored to empower and secure
distributed workforces.

 

As third-party integrations reign,
Trend Micro also warned that exposed APIs will become a new preferred attack
vector for cybercriminals, providing access to sensitive customer data, source
code and back-end services.

 

Cloud systems are another area in
which threats will continue to persist in 2021, from unwitting users,
misconfigurations, and attackers attempting to take over cloud servers to
deploy malicious container images.

 

Trend Micro recommends the following
steps to mitigate threats in 2021:

• Foster user education and training to extend corporate
  security best practices to the home, including advice against the use of
  personal devices
• Maintain strict access controls for both corporate
  networks and the home office, including zero trust
• Double down on best practice security and patch management
  programs
• Augment threat detection with security expertise to protect
  cloud workloads, emails, endpoints, networks, and servers round-the-clock

Cybercriminals
will continue to go where the money is — seeking the greatest financial returns
on their attacks. Organizations and security teams must remain nimble and vigilant
to stay ahead of criminals.

 

Download the report here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/research-and-analysis/predictions/2021.