Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2020

The year 2020 marks the transition to a new decade, and recent notable events and trends signify a similar changeover in the threat landscape. Cybersecurity in 2020 and beyond will have to be viewed through many lenses — from differing attacker motivations and cybercriminal arsenal to advancing technological developments and global threat intelligence — only so defenders can keep up with and anticipate cybercrime mainstays, game changers, and new players.

The old paradigm, where networks are isolated behind a company firewall, is behind us. Gone are the days of using a limited stack of enterprise applications. The current paradigm demands a wide variety of apps, services, and platforms that will all require protection. Layered security that is applied to various implementation efforts and keeps up with ecosystem shifts will be crucial in tackling the broad range of threats.

Tried-and-tested methods — extortion, obfuscation, phishing — remain successful in attacks we see today, but new risks will inevitably emerge. The increased migration to the cloud, for instance, exacerbates human error: Misconfigurations contribute to the possibility of exponential compromise. The sheer number of connected assets and infrastructures further creates a slew of issues that opens doors to threats. Enterprise threats will be no less complex, mixing traditional risks with new technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI) in business frauds.

Our security predictions for 2020 reflect our experts’ opinions and insights on current and emerging threats and technologies. The scenarios and developments described are of the possible future, where technological advances and evolved threats will be key drivers for landscape changes. This report intends to empower enterprises in making informed decisions in specific security focus areas that will present challenges and opportunities in 2020 and the coming decades.