2020 was the survival year of humankind and has left in its wake security battlefields for repair. Businesses need to address mountains of cybersecurity, band aid patchwork and replace them with viable and robust solutions. Another area of innovation that was delayed in 2020, mainstream roll out of 5G, will take place in 2021. Here are the top ten cybersecurity predictions for 2021.

“Band aid solutions put in place during 2020 by CISOs will need to be replaced with scalable, long-term solutions.”

Privacy data will be an open field. With so much of daily life happening online, the lines between security and privacy have blurred. If 2020 was a practice run for cybercriminals, 2021 is going to be the professional match.

Band aid solutions put in place during 2020 by CISOs, when introducing remote working practices with limited time and resources, will need to be replaced with scalable, long-term solutions. As organisations continue with remote work models in 2021, CISOs will need to rise to the challenge of securing dynamic environments.

“There will be a strong demand for trusted vendors that focus on built-in security.”

Convenience will outstrip security. The demands of a remote workforce have included rapid digital modernisation. Against this, the demand for convenience has outweighed the priority for security. Gaining a holistic view of the entire infrastructure must be a priority in 2021.

There will be a strong demand for trusted vendors that focus on built-in security. 2021 will see a spike in adoption of SaaS collaboration tools as teams look for convenient ways of bringing together distributed workforces.

Many vulnerabilities and cyberattacks are a product of weak secure code. Attacks can be avoided if we invest in teaching secure code in schools and demand the use of secure code in software. The need for increased cybersecurity education in schools is critical.

In 2021, our reliance on mission-critical systems will become even greater. Ransom prices will rise as the value and dependence on supply chain increases. In 2020, we have seen critical infrastructure fall victim to cybercriminal activity, particularly ransomware.

“2021 will be the era of widespread IT and OT convergence.”

2021 must be the year to start planning for worst case scenarios to ensure security of critical systems now and well into the future. Whether it is ransomware or a rogue USB, the threats to critical systems cannot be understated. In times of crisis, supply chains that underpin modern society go into hyperdrive.

2021 will be the era of widespread IT and OT convergence. There can be no OT without IT and securing converged environments will be critical. IT will be a conduit to compromising sensitive OT environments and vice versa. Organisations will learn the hard way their OT is no longer air gapped.

“In 2021, our reliance on mission-critical systems will become even greater.”

Once 5G is widely available, the floodgates will open, and both white hats and black hats will experience a swift learning curve. The profound speed and reach will connect businesses more than ever before, which translates to dangerous ripple effects of a successful attack.

As data flows through vulnerable 5G infrastructure, it will be essential to build security to close the gaps. To combat emerging threats, users and service providers will lock arms to prioritise security measures and build an ecosystem of trusted vendors.

The expanded threat landscape of cloud-based assets along with connected operational technology devices is increasing cyber risk exposure. The massive shift to remote work for both the public and private sectors has forced businesses, governments and other organisations to adapt security practices.

With many of the challenges of 2020 following us into 2021, it is imperative that security leaders consider not only policy changes but new technology trends. This helps the senior security leader to be proactive with strategy and not reactive.

In 2021, we will begin applying learnings from the 2020 pandemic. Maher Jadallah of Tenable highlights top ten cybersecurity trends for this year.