iSheriff Forecasts Top Information Security Threats for 2016

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Organizations of all sizes need to be aware of the important trends that have emerged or shifted in the past year. In 2015, nearly every sector of business and government was hit hard by a data breach. As headlines about global data breaches continue to be commonplace, company stakeholders are paying greater attention and executives are finally making information security a business priority.

In preparation for 2016, iSheriff, a leading cloud security company, today announced their forecast of the top five security threats that businesses will face in 2016.  Some of these trends started in 2015 and are expected to continue, while others will bring new issues for security professionals. The most prominent of these threats include:

1. There will be more POS device breaches.  In 2016, we can expect more headlines about credit card information being pilfered in bulk. The ongoing problems with lax security configuration, weak passwords, and third party access vulnerabilities we've seen the last few years will converge with the messy rollout of EMV card terminals. Despite the increased security promised by EMV standards, hackers will find plenty of opportunities to exploit rushed deployments, customer and cashier confusion, and aging POS systems yet to be replaced.

2. Devices that come and go off the network, coupled with the ongoing BYOD trend, will continue to confuse security managers who know it is imperative to secure all endpoints, but lack the proper tools to do so effectively.  Without proper tools, administrators are left to choose between over-restricting access and reducing user functionality. Companies must be diligent about creating and enforcing BYOD policies that include a verification capability. Engaging the whole organization in secure BYOD campaigns can help promote a culture of responsibility and awareness.

3. Companies of all sizes and types will have to deal with breaches and lost data issues. Breaches at major, global organizations will continue to make headlines, but cyber criminals are ingenious when it comes to finding the path of least resistance in pursuit of low-hanging fruit. As enterprise security programs improve, many bad actors will look for fresh opportunities to ambush unsuspecting targets with their cunning schemes. While many hackers and cyber criminals focus on name-brand networks, many others hone their craft and try new approaches with smaller business. 

4. Ransomware will continue to evolve and become increasingly complicated.  We continue to be shocked at the amount of ransomware attacks where the "victim" actually pays the ransom.  The FBI said it received 992 CryptoWall complaints from April 2014 to June 2015, representing total losses of $18 million—and that is just reported cases. Because criminals are finding this scheme lucrative, hackers will continue to work on producing virus variants that are harder to detect and decrypt.

5. The trend towards cloud-based security services will enable a shift towards true integration. This shift will be of fundamental importance in delivering complete visibility across the organization's security position – something that simply isn't possible with today's fragmentary approach. The CISO will continue to demand best of breed solutions for the organization, and a move towards open APIs and integration frameworks will enable this to be achieved without today's critical visibility compromises. Traditional security approaches are no longer sufficient; infrastructure complexity, the dissolution of the network perimeter, the mobile workforce, and interconnected supply chains create enormous new challenges.

"While cyber security has gained some long awaited traction and momentum in 2015, it is not yet time to celebrate a job well done. As quickly as new security mechanisms are being developed, cybercriminals are cultivating new techniques to bypass them," said Oscar Marquez, CTO, iSheriff. "It's important for businesses of all sizes to take time to thoroughly assess their organization's ability to defend its data, networks, employees, and customers. Every business should resolve to strengthen cyber security capabilities over the next year."

iSheriff is one of the leading companies providing effective security completely from the cloud. The company delivers the industry's easiest to deploy and manage Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution for protection against today's multi-vector threats and compliance challenges, combining the power, flexibility and ease of a cloud-based service offering with a seamlessly integrated suite of critical technologies. For more information on iSheriff, please visit www.isheriff.com and follow the company on Twitter at @isheriffinc.

About iSheriff.
iSheriff is a leading cloud-based, enterprise device security platform used by more than 3,000 organizations around the world. Our global cloud network, award winning security, and SaaS delivery model provide an integrated service to protect all enterprise devices – including laptops, servers, tablets, point of sale devices, industrial equipment and emerging "internet of things" technologies. Simply put, iSheriff delivers more powerful security that is easier to manage and more cost efficient than our competition. We are proud to be recognized by leading analysts and industry publications, including SC Magazine, Network Computing and IDC. In February 2015, Virus Bulletin's VB100 independent comparative testing named iSheriff the most effective solution against new and emerging malware.

For more information on iSheriff, please visit www.isheriff.com and follow the company on Twitter at @isheriffinc.

PR CONTACT
Gutenberg Communications for iSheriff
John Kreuzer
(408) 896-3307
[email protected]

SOURCE iSheriff

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