We tend to be laser focused on the here and now—particularly when we are living through major world events. But what truly dictates our ability to deal with crises in the present day is how well we prepared for them in the past. The same applies to how well we will be able to tackle future cybersecurity threats; our preparedness today will determine our digital resilience tomorrow. However, to understand what actions and steps are needed to effectively deal with bad actors in the future, we need to be guided by well-backed research which helps us map out future trends and risks in the cybersecurity space.
Project 2030 is a visionary new report and video dramatisation by global cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, articulating how the world might look at the start of the next decade — and how the security sector might respond to evolving cybercrime innovation.
“We hope this possible future will spark a debate within the security industry and wider society. Only by carefully anticipating future scenarios can we offer governments, businesses, and individuals a way to prepare for the cyber challenges of the coming decade,” said Rik Ferguson, Vice President of Security for Trend Micro.
So how will we live and work in 2030?The report itself looks at the world in 2030 through the eyes of a fictional citizen, a business, and a government. It offers a detailed analysis of evolving cyber threats and how these might impact security stakeholders.
Among the predictions are:
- AI tools democratise cybercrime on a whole new scale to individuals with no technical skill
- Attacks cause chaos with supply chains and physical harm to humans through their cyber-implants
- Social engineering and misinformation become more visceral and harder to ignore when delivered via ubiquitous Heads Up Displays (HUDs)
- Massive IoT (MIoT) environments attract sabotage and extortion attacks targeting manufacturing, logistics, transportation, healthcare, education, retail, and the home environment
- AI-powered obfuscation makes attribution virtually impossible, pushing the security industry’s focus towards incident response and IAM at the edge
- 5G and 6G connectivity everywhere drive more sophisticated and precise attacks
- “Everything as a Service” turns cloud providers into hugely lucrative targets for cyber-attackers
- Grey markets emerge for those that want tools to confound workplace monitoring
- Techno-nationalism becomes a key geostrategic tool of some of the world’s most powerful nations, with the gulf between them and the have-nots widening further
“The exponential growth of modern technology has brought abundant future possibilities, along with cybersecurity challenges,” said Dr. Victoria Baines, cybersecurity futurist. “These scenarios and their associated threats will require changes to the business and regulation of cybersecurity. The cybersecurity industry must evolve both technology and training to prepare for a future in which everything is connected and at risk.”
As the report highlights, by 2030 connectivity will impact every aspect of our lives. However, with the advancement in technological innovation, bad actors will be able to leverage innovation for their own malicious agendas and exploit vulnerabilities. Project 2030 helps us to visualise the future but more importantly, helps us realise the steps we need to take in terms of regulatory practices and cybersecurity developments to protect individuals, communities, and nation states.
