The incidence of cyberattacks and data breaches continues to rise sharply, with hackers seeking out more vulnerable targets. Recently, they’ve had a particularly devastating impact on the healthcare industry, which saw the most ransomware attacks of any sector in 2023 and 2024. The rise in incidents comes alongside new AI models, which users can program to do the hacking for them. And the consequences extend beyond simple data breaches.
In recent years, cyberattacks have brought entire supply chains to a halt. They can compromise businesses’ operations, credibility, finances, and more. When used to target IoT devices and security systems, they can even compromise physical infrastructure. They can dismantle security systems, disable cameras, and even open gates. They could even be used to disrupt agriculture, hijacking temperature control and automated feeding systems.
To beat these new cyberattacks, security engineers and architects are developing a new generation of cyber defense technologies. These technologies are designed to defend against new threats — in some cases, threats that don’t actually exist yet. The new age of cyber security is all about anticipating a hacker’s next move before they even know what it will be. Here are some of the most critical new developments and innovations in cyber defense.
1. Zero Trust Architecture
Zero Trust refers to a cybersecurity philosophy in which no user or device is to be trusted until it’s explicitly proven trustworthy. This concept, first developed in the 1980s, became a fundamental principle of cybersecurity due to the prevalence of remote work. By always verifying every user and device, Zero Trust architecture mitigates risks associated with remote work, cloud services, and the use of personal devices for work purposes.
In 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to adopt Zero Trust policies. According to a recent Gartner survey, most businesses world-wide are implementing Zero-Trust strategies. This rise in the popularity of this approach also reflects growing concern about the recent rise of data breaches and cyberattacks. The Zero Trust slogan, “never trust, always verify,” is reflected in a host of other new cyber defense protocols and technologies.
2. Application Allowlisting
One concrete application of Zero Trust architecture is application allowlisting, aka application whitelisting. It’s software designed to block any authorized applications, including but not limited to malware, from running on your network and devices. Only applications that appear on a specific list are permitted to run on the system. This list of approved applications is called the “whitelist” or “allowlist.”
To implement allowlisting, IT admins install allowlisting software and determine which applications users should have access to. The list typically includes only applications verified as both safe and necessary for workplace operations. An allowlist includes essential workplace software, such as enterprise systems used by all employees or specific departments. It can also include communication, project management, scheduling, productivity, and educational tools.
3. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Integrations
AI and machine learning algorithms can be used in a number of different ways to advance cyber defense and security analytics. It is able to detect and prevent multiple different categories and types of cyberattacks. One of the ways it does this is by detecting unusual deviations or anomalies in device or user behavior. This capability means that some deep learning models are capable of detecting new types of cyberattacks that haven’t even occurred yet.
Like other AI and machine learning models, cyber defense models are trained to interpret patterns and vast amounts of historical data. This enables them to spot variations and relationships that could be indicative of a threat. As AI and machine learning technologies advance, they need less and less human intervention in order to do their jobs. Increasingly, they’re being used to build self-healing networks, which can prevent and even repair damage from cyber incidents without human oversight.
4. Quantum Resistant Cryptography
Most data breaches come down to some kind of human error, like a successful phishing attempt or guessable password. Cyberattacks rarely manage to actually break encryption, ie. decipher the code computers used to protect sensitive data. Quantum computing, still in development, will be capable of solving much more complex problems than modern supercomputers or hacking systems. It will become much, much easier to break encryption and hack previously unhackable systems.
New technologies, therefore, will need to evolve to protect against more advanced attacks and hacks from quantum computers. Quantum resistant algorithms, of which there are currently only a handful, are designed to stand up to attacks from quantum computers. These algorithms will be extensively evaluated by mathematicians and cryptographers to ensure they can withstand a quantum computing attack. Unfortunately, these algorithms still aren’t a total guarantee.
The Best Offense is a Good Defense
To stay ahead of looming threats to cyber security, engineers and developers will have to work harder and faster than their hacker counterparts. In conjunction with new technologies, like AI and deep learning models, they’ll work to defend against attacks long before they happen. They’ll need not just to anticipate future attacks, but predict entirely new ways of attacking. In other words, the future of cybersecurity lies in discovering hacks before the hackers do.
