In 2020, we will see the evolution of IoT security play out in two key spheres: personal and industrial IoT. From connected doorbell cameras to wireless speaker systems, we will see a growth in attack modes coming in via unsecured apps or weak login credentials. This threat is further complicated by the emergence of accessible deepfake technology, which can pose a threat for voice- or biometric-controlled connected devices.
These are the among the predictions of Palo Alto Networks for 2020.
Asia Pacific is projected to be the global IoT-spending leader in 2019, accounting for approximately 36.9% of worldwide spending, according to IDC. Yet even today, security can come as an afterthought in product development. Some connected devices continue to be shipped out with no viable means of receiving software updates and security patches, leading to common vulnerabilities that can be exploited easily. This issue will be further exacerbated by the growing number of potential threats to IoT security, such as DDoS attacks, in 2020.
In Singapore, the local government has unveiled a masterplan to protect operational technology (OT) systems from cyberattacks that can cripple the nation’s water supply, transport and other critical sectors.
Other predictions by Palo Alto Networks:
Today’s 4G problems are setting the scene for 5G
According to Gartner, worldwide 5G wireless network infrastructure revenue will reach $4.2 billion in 2020 – an 89% increase from 2019 revenue of $2.2 billion.
“Before we even start to consider the rollout of 5G, however, 4G networks today are still vulnerable to a myriad of attack modes, from spam to eavesdropping, malware, IP-spoofing, data and service theft, DDoS attacks and numerous other variants,” says Palo Alto Networks in its predictions report. “This is a particular challenge for mobile network operators who need to contend with security vulnerabilities, brought about not only by interconnections with other mobile network operators (MNO) but also the varying security standards of long term evolution (LTE) devices.”
Singapore has already begun its experiments in cloud gaming, autonomous vehicles, smart estates and the food and beverage industry. Local telcos could potentially make up to $704m from 5G by 2025, and the nation is best placed amongst all SEA nations to profit the most.
The talent shortage isn’t what you think it is
Much has been said about the lack of cybersecurity talent globally and the critical skills gap that persists. The latest research puts the current shortage at 2.14 million in the APAC region, according to the (ISC)² 2018 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, making this region likely to be the worst affected.
The demand for cybersecurity will continue outstripping the supply until there is a fundamental shift in mindset. Two complementary approaches will be required to address this challenge: the adoption of automation and exploring alternative sources of talent.
“In 2020, we expect to see greater evaluation of EQ rather than IQ to find curious minds with problem-solving skills, be it engineers, analysts or even communications specialists. Investments need to be made to upskill and cross-skill these overlooked sources and groom these capable individuals into the talent we need,” says the Palo Alto Networks report.
In line with the above, data scientists and cybersecurity specialists were ranked amongst the top emerging jobs in Singapore, according to a 2018 report by LinkedIn.
The data privacy lines get blurrier
The Internet Society’s 2018 survey on Policy Issues in APAC found over 70% of respondents would like to be given more control over the collection and use of their personal information.
Data privacy concerns are about a lack of awareness on what data is being collected, as well as a lack of visibility on how its being used. It’s important for enterprises and individuals to note that establishing local data centres does not necessarily result in data being more secure, as we are more connected now than ever before. To manage this effectively, companies will need to regularly evaluate the information they collect and control its access.
“We expect additional data privacy legislation to emerge in the region. Both Indonesia and India have been working on personal data protection bills for the last few years, although the timing for if and when these become final is unclear,” says Palo Alto Networks.
Personal data protection systems across Singapore’s public sector is now set for a significant overhaul, when it was found that three in four agencies fell short of government standards in at least one area.
The cloud future has arrived: Don’t get lost in turbulence
Seventy percent of large organizations in APAC have misplaced confidence in cloud security, believing security by cloud providers alone is sufficient. (Palo Alto Networks Cloud Survey 2019)
There is a complicated mix of attitudes and degrees of cloud adoption across the region. But while the forecast for the cloud adoption in 2020 shows clear skies ahead, large organisations in APAC have many security tools – this creates a fragmented security posture, adding further complexity to managing security in the cloud.
Large organisations in Singapore do not have enough time and resources dedicated to cloud security audits and trainings. Thirteen percent of Singapore organisations has never conducted an audit of their cybersecurity posture and 64% does so less than once a year.
