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Dear Reader,
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025, a year of many changes for Cyber Protection Magazine. We have grown rapidly over the past 4 years and reach tens of thousands of readers though all our channels. Along with that has come a common perception of the work we do. We’ve decided, as a result, to change of mantra, “Cybersecurity. Explained.” Going forward it will be…
Cybersecurity explained… with an attitude.
Our chief editor can be described as a skeptical optimist. He has a great deal of respect for the work done by the denizens of the cybersecurity industry. He has often said, “Cybersecurity companies have a great story to tell. They just don’t know what it is.”
The view of the industry produces a lot of snark when he gets pitches or conducts interviews because what companies tell him is generally no different than what every other company says. But he still listens and tries to sift through the chaff to find the kernel of a story. This year, however, he feels he has learned enough to start pushing back. As a result he has proposed that the theme for 2025 will be, “Put up or shut up.”
The industry, like every tech industry, has made wild promises about what they can do, and they haven’t delivered. Cybercrime is still rising, companies that have invested millions in security are still getting breached, And governments, if Emperor Trump is to be believed, are giving up trying to keep up. So we are dedicating our coverage to rooting out the BS in industry marketing and finding out what we can actually do to secure our data and very lives.
We already started this in December with our end of year special issue. We reviewed the predictions made in January 2024 and found that, for the most part, we were right, and the industry mavens were largely wrong. We also published a list of questions that we will be seeking to answer this year. More on that later.
This months special issue will be dedicated to a new round of predictions and we are already calling some of them wrong (Getting a first-level subscription makes our special issues downloadable). Also this month you can expect to see coverage on …
post-quantum computing encryption fear mongering
- what we can really expect from generative AI in the coming year
- the role decentralization will play in securing our data
- Taking the stupid our of security best practices
There will be several questions we will be addressing beyond that, including..
Statistics — We hear how bad the situation is in security. Lots of jobs going unfilled. Cyber attacks on the increase. The cost of cybercrime approaching $25 trillion dollars. But is it that bad?
AI-Driven Cyber Attacks — As artificial intelligence advances, cybercriminals are expected to use it to craft highly sophisticated phishing scams, automate attacks, and develop malware that can rapidly evolve. Defenders will need AI-powered tools to detect and mitigate these threats in real time. Which way will the scales tip this year?
Zero Trust Expansion — Zero Trust security models are no longer a trend but an industry standard. But it has become so “buzzified” does it even have any meaning?
Supply Chain Vulnerabilities — Supply chain defense has been a major issue in industry with increasing complexity, targeting third-party vendors and cloud providers to compromise large organizations. Will governments finally deploy stricter regulations to secure critical infrastructures, or will cost-cutting open the floodgates of attack?.
5G Security Challenges — Remember 5G? That used to be the technology du jour a few years back. Networks expanded and the increased connectivity and speed will open new vulnerabilities in IoT devices and networks. The telecom and manufacturing sectors will face significant security challenges due to the greater attack surface. Have security frameworks evolved to address these risks?
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) Evolution — Will ransomware-as-a-Service become even more sophisticated, enabling less-skilled cybercriminals to carry out complex attacks? Law enforcement made significant headway in shutting down the groups last year but will populist governments follow up with stricter laws around paying ransoms? Will organizations refocus on prevention rather than post-attack mitigation strategies?
Cybersecurity for Smart Cities — As cities adopt smart infrastructure, cybersecurity will become critical to protecting transportation, utilities, and municipal systems. The interconnectivity of these systems makes them highly vulnerable to large-scale cyberattacks. Will municipalities invest enough in cybersecurity measures to protect citizens and services?
Insider Threats — Insider threats are still a significant problem, driven by remote work, employee dissatisfaction, and increasingly complex organizational structures. Businesses need advanced monitoring and behavioral analysis tools to detect unusual activity from within. Employee training and awareness programs will become even more critical. But with investment in cyber slowing this past year, will it be enough?
Biometric Security: As passwords become increasingly inadequate for securing systems, biometric authentication grows in popularity. However, will biometric data itself become a target for hackers, leading to the need for stronger protections around how this sensitive information is stored and used? What are the challenges in balancing security with privacy concerns.?
How you gonna power that? Digital technology is not the largest consumer of electrical power in the world… yet. But the world’s reliance on it for communication, supply chain maintenance, and security makes the availability of power on a constant basis a significant concern. Right now, the internet consumes 1-2 percent of all the power generated, but by 2030 that is expected to double, making it compete with heavy manufacturing for available sources. Where will we get the power from?
To give you an idea about those topics, below you'll find a selection of similar articles we've published in the past. And with that we conclude this newsletter.
Happy reading
Lou, Joe an Patrick |
