IE 11 Not Supported

For optimal browsing, we recommend Chrome, Firefox or Safari browsers.

5 Cyber-Risk Trends CIOs Should Keep in Mind for 2016

Internet of Things, ransomware attacks, mobile malvertising, elevation of cybersecurity role are signs of shifting threat landscape, ISACA says.

Global IT and cybersecurity association ISACA this week identified five “surprising” cyber-risk trends for 2016 that chief information security officers (CISOs) and chief information officers (CIOs) should keep in mind. The type of attack and the targets are changing dramatically, the association’s leadership said.

1. Cyberextortion Will Hit Wearables, Medical Devices and Gaming Systems

Nearly three-quarters of IT professionals believe the likelihood of an organization being hacked via an Internet of Things device is medium or high, according to an ISACA study. “In particular, IoT devices are a convenient target for fraudsters, especially those attempting ransomware,” the association said.

2. Hackers Will Increasingly Target Cloud Providers

Because more data are shifting outside of organizations through use of hybrid and public clouds, 2016 will bring more attempts from cybercriminals to gain direct access to that information. In a recent Osterman Research survey, approximately 76 percent expressed concern about consumer-grade cloud storage.

3. Millennials Will Care More About Privacy Breaches

According to ISACA, millennials are the generation most likely to use nontraditional IoT devices that are more abundant and more vulnerable to security risks. The association says it will prompt many millennials to be more proactive with app providers and other businesses to ensure their private information stays private.

4. Mobile Malware and Malvertising Will Cause ‘Mayhem’

ISACA says 2016 will see a “massive increase” in the frequency of malvertising – “the practice of injecting malicious advertisements into legitimate online advertising networks.

5. Cybersecurity Will be the 'It' Job of IT

More than half of the global cybersecurity professionals surveyed by ISACA and RSA Conference reported that less than a quarter of job applicants are qualified for the cybersecurity position they are seeking Not surprisingly, this challenge has also made cybersecurity a lucrative career option and a “hot” job: it was named No. 8 on the 100 Best Jobs by U.S. News & World Report.

ISACA is a global nonprofit association of 140,000 IT audit, risk, governance and cybersecurity professionals in 180 countries.

This article was originally published on TechWire.

Read by opinion leaders, policy makers, the vendor community and government IT workforce, Techwire.net has a well-defined audience focused on the public-sector technology industry in California. Our goal is to gather and publish news and information related to this community, and to document the efforts of those working to modernize California’s digital infrastructure and access to information.