Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

After a two-year hiatus, the Gartner Security and Risk Management, London is back! I had the privilege of attending a number of sessions, spending time talking with analysts and digesting some of the latest cybersecurity trends and strategies, including the Top Cybersecurity Predictions for 2022-2023 from Gartner. Two themes that stood out to me were security service edge (SSE) and extended detection and response (XDR) Below are some of my key takeaways from this year’s conference.

APIs have become a vital part of doing business. Organizations increasingly rely on the use of APIs for day-to-day workflows, particularly as cloud applications become something of a mainstay. A recent report found that the average number of APIs per company increased by 221% in 2021. Not only are APIs impossible to ignore, but the need to invest in API security cannot be overlooked. The trend in usage is closely followed by opportunists seeking ways to exploit vulnerabilities for their gain.

IHG Hotels & Resorts, the hotel group that owns the Holiday Inn and Intercontinental brands, experienced a cyber attack in the first week of September. The attack has impacted the central hotel’s booking system and mobile apps, causing a service outage for several days. Loyalty program members could not log in or create new bookings during this time.

Authentication as a baseline security control is essential for organizations to know who and what is accessing corporate resources and assets. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) states that authentication is the process of verifying that a user’s identity is genuine.

The cloud has a lot going for it, and one of the most significant advantages it has brought to the table is data storage. For businesses, this surplus of cheap and scalable cloud storage combined with the many new innovations in cloud computing has the potential to boost productivity, reduce expenses, and simplify operations. In the marketing industry, cloud computing already benefits companies of all sizes.