Preparing for Tomorrow's Cyber Threats
WebCE Staff
By
October 29, 2024
Earlier this year, a finance worker in Hong Kong joined a video call with his company’s UK-based chief financial officer and several other staff. Later, the worker discovered everyone on the call was fake—but not before paying $25.6 million to the fraudsters.
New and unexpected cyber threats are always popping up. In fact, that’s kind of the point: to catch you off guard.
But while the latest wave of cyber threats is awfully threatening, tried and true cybersecurity best practices remain as effective as ever. After all, the finance worker admitted he sensed something was suspicious about the ill-fated video call but disregarded his intuition.
The Latest Cyber Threats
New cyber threats are constantly popping up, and 2025 cybercrime losses have been forecasted as high as $10.5 trillion. The more aware an organization is of emerging threats, the better prepared they are to defend against them.
Here are some top cyber threats to prepare for heading into 2025:
Internet of Things (IoT) & Smart Device Vulnerabilities
From security cameras to smart thermostats to watches, devices all around us have not only become more advanced, but they have also become targets for cybercriminals. These devices typically lack robust security features, often using weak passwords and out-of-date software. Criminals are increasingly taking advantage of these vulnerabilities to infiltrate networks, disrupt operations, and even manipulate other connected devices.
Tried and true cybersecurity best practices like strong passwords and regular software updates are key in securing these devices. Then the challenge becomes building a strong culture of cybersecurity that ensures everyone in the organization is properly trained.
Ransomware & the Evolution of Extortion
Ransomware hijacks networks, threatening to erase all data unless the targeted organization pays a ransom.
One of ransomware’s most common entry points into a network is through phishing, or malicious communication pretending to be legitimate. Phishing attacks are usually delivered through email, text messages (smishing), phone calls (vishing), or social media, and they can take various forms.
A single link from a phishing attack can compromise an entire organization. It’s a serious threat but can be defended against if everyone in the organization develops strong cybersecurity awareness.
AI-Driven Social Engineering
With AI, social engineering threats have been given a big upgrade. In fact, the World Economic Forum believes AI “could empower and proliferate social engineering cyberattacks.”
This new technology allows hackers to imitate the appearance and voice of another person in real time over the phone or on video platforms like Zoom. AI can also make phishing emails more realistic by matching a person’s writing style.
In the end, though, these attempts use the same tactics traditional phishing attempts use. Hackers want to trigger a strong emotional reaction with a sudden urgency to prevent dire consequences. These digital deceptions are crafted to convince you to let your guard down.
Maintaining awareness and spotting something fishy has become more difficult, but training, practice, and staying on top of the latest news can help.
Even as cyber threats evolve, tried and true cybersecurity best practices are still the best approach to thwarting breaches.
Cybersecurity Best Practices for 2025
All October during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the WebCE blog featured cybersecurity best practices, news on rising threats, and cybersecurity awareness training courses all to help keep you informed and protected.
Here are some top stories from our coverage of 2024’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month:
Top Cybersecurity Best Practices for 2024 Awareness is the best defense. Here’s what to look out for going into 2025.
Cybercrime Agency Issues New 2FA Warning For Gmail, Outlook, Facebook And X Users Two-step verification, often referred to as two-factor authentication, cannot guarantee account security, but it sure makes it a lot harder for hackers and scammers to get into your accounts.
National Security Agency’s Mobile Device Best Practices The NSA recommends turning your phone off once a week to ensure security. Learn all their recommended best practices for cybersecurity on mobile devices.
How WebCE Protects Data We believe the most effective way to protect data is not to collect it in the first place.
5 Traits of a Human Firewall As attacks become more sophisticated and creative, the key to strong cybersecurity lies in creating and maintaining a human firewall acting as vigilant defenders of your organization’s digital and physical assets.
While these best practices have been proven effective, they only work if everyone in the organization is properly trained.
Building a Strong Human Firewall with Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Cybersecurity is as much about people as it is about technology. With hackers continuously devising new and unexpected attack methods, human firewalls are essential to keeping your organization secure.
A human firewall refers to the collective behavior of employees, who act as the last line of defense against cyber threats.
Imagine finding a random USB drive in your office or just outside the door.
Do you pick it up?
While plugging it in might seem harmless, hackers often use this exact tactic to gain unauthorized access to systems. A strong human firewall would recognize this risk and respond appropriately.
The foundation of a strong human firewall is cybersecurity awareness training, which ensures every employee can recognize the signs of an attempted breach and defend against it.
WebCE offers online cybersecurity awareness training courses for a variety of industries to help professionals spot the different ways criminals target their day-to-day operations.
Visit our catalog to discover your cybersecurity best practices.