In 2023, we observed a steady increase in the scale of cyberattacks. However, at the same time, there was also an increase in awareness and the effectiveness of security measures among companies and other organizations. Subsidy programs for public organizations that increase the level of digital protection will provide additional resources to increase resilience to cyberattacks. In the coming year, further digital development will also be reinforced by the obligations imposed on companies by the NIS2 directive.
Cybercriminal Groups as Corporations
According to the Veeam Ransomware Trends Report 2023, over the past year, the percentage of companies hit by a ransomware attack increased by as much as 9 percentage points (from 76% to 85%). The scale of cyber threats will only continue to grow. The entire darknet increasingly operates like a well-organized enterprise – criminal groups sell other hackers tools for attacks and data encryption, which allows all participants of this process to earn substantial money. The business is very lucrative and will only continue to grow, and more and more ordinary users will also be at risk.
Not only the number of attacks is increasing, but also their quality. Fake messages look more and more professional and credible, so it will be harder to distinguish them from real ones and avoid attack – also for people who have knowledge about cyber threats. Criminals use new AI-based tools to create deep fake content and bypass security measures. Hence, the zero-trust approach, which assumes that every user can potentially pose a threat, will gain importance. User education will also be key – everyone will have to acquire new skills, including verifying sources.
NIS2 Will Enforce Changes
The EU directive NIS2, which will be in force from next year, will stimulate additional digital development and increasing the level of security in Polish (and European) companies. The directive introduces, among others, the duty to report incidents to avoid situations where attacks are hidden, as well as the obligation to train employees in cybersecurity. One of the most significant challenges related to the directive will be ensuring incident handling, their appropriate reporting, and having plans and procedures to restore business operations and recover data and infrastructure.
Companies covered by the directive will also have to ensure that their entire supply chain is adequately secured – the regulations will therefore cover a wide range of entities, including those cooperating with those mentioned in the directive. The responsibility for fulfilling obligations will rest on management, which may further motivate increased attention to cyber security and data protection issues.
Subsidy Programs Increase Security
Last year, many public organizations experienced firsthand how damaging cyber threats can be – they were forced to return to the paper circulation of documents for several weeks and dealt with consequences related to GDPR. Threats such as ransomware are particularly severe: the loss of sensitive data can paralyze their entire operation and cause a domino effect even at the level of individual units. Funding for cybersecurity solutions, which were implemented in the past year, may significantly improve the level of digital security. Similar actions are currently being carried out in local self-government units as part of the Cybersecure Self-government program. This will increase the level of protection and make it harder for criminals to act.
Changes in the Approach to Securing IT Infrastructure
The boundaries between tools for preventing attacks, detecting them, responding, and protecting data are becoming increasingly blurred. Previously separate departments dealing with these areas begin to increasingly overlap and cooperate. The cyber threat market will only grow, so companies will increasingly move towards combining the forces of cybersecurity specialists with data protection or IT teams. This will require new skills from IT solution providers – companies expect a comprehensive approach and a response to new needs. This applies not only to new clients but also to those who already have solutions and will have to modernize them to ensure compliance with the regulations and the security of their IT infrastructure.
Andrzej Niziołek, Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Veeam
