Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity Predictions for 2018

As the clock moves inexorably to a new year (and our look back at the past year is complete), it is time to pick up our crystal ball and predict what 2018 will bring. In the field of cybersecurity there are some verities and some uncertainties. Here are our predictions for the year:

• There will be at least one large-scale data breach, if not more. Just as 2017 brought us the Yahoo breach and the massive Equifax losses, there is no reason at all–none–to think 2018 will be any safer. While we can’t say exactly who will be the victim, we can say with confidence that data breaches don’t fundamentally change anything. Corporate behavior is unaffected and consumers quickly internalize the costs.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will finally get a cybersecurity leader for the National Protection and Programs Directorate. It’s only been a year.
• No significant federal effort will be made to protect the cybersecurity of the 2018 election. As long as executive branch leadership holds the official view that no Russian interference occurred in 2016, there is little reason to expect the federal government will take action. As a result, there will be serious questions about the integrity of the 2018 elections.
• There will be a significant disruption of internet traffic caused by a botnet attack. Service will be blacked out and messages will be diverted. The disruption will last more than an hour...