October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time for both businesses and individuals to reflect on the importance of remaining vigilant in our increasingly digital world.
As cyber threats continue to evolve and intensify, the cybersecurity industry must also adapt its approach to communicating and engaging with customers and prospects to stay ahead of the game.
In August, I shared a video highlighting three key trends shaping the cybersecurity landscape: (1) the rising threat of misinformation, (2) the reassessment of cloud and IT security strategies following major outages and (3) the growing risk of attacks on critical infrastructure.
As we look toward 2025, it’s time to dive deeper into these trends to help cybersecurity marketers navigate the current media landscape.
The Rising Threat of Misinformation
In an era of deepfakes, bots and algorithm-driven social media feeds, misinformation and disinformation are being amplified, making it increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction.
Attackers are leveraging deepfakes and AI-generated content to enhance the credibility of their scams. In other cases, they use hyper-realistic videos and audio to manipulate public opinion or impersonate trusted figures, creating significant security risks.
Moreover, bots and fake social media accounts spread false information quickly, while algorithm-driven social platforms prioritize content that aligns with users’ existing beliefs. Social engineering attacks like phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) are increasingly exploiting fake news and misleading narratives to deceive individuals into sharing personal information.
Other tactics, such as scareware, fake antivirus scams and investment fraud, also use misleading narratives to target and manipulate victims.
With the 2024 U.S. presidential election just around the corner, both the public and private sectors need to remain vigilant against misinformation campaigns, cyberattacks and breaches that threaten the security of their data and reputations.
Rethinking Cloud, Security and IT Strategies After Major Outages
Earlier this year, CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity company, experienced an outage that captured the industry’s attention.
The disruption highlighted the potential risks businesses face when they rely on centralized cybersecurity services — prompting some tech and security leaders to reassess their cloud strategies, security frameworks and IT operations. The incident also emphasized the broader risks that could be exploited by ransomware operators, including Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) groups, during times of weakened defenses or recovery.
As businesses increasingly turn to cloud services, it’s crucial to reassess cloud, security and IT strategies to strengthen resilience against both technical failures and advanced cybersecurity threats.
The Escalating Risks to Critical Infrastructure
The pace of cyberattacks against critical infrastructure has accelerated in the past few years.
High-profile incidents like the Colonial Pipeline and JBS attacks have served as stark reminders of the vulnerabilities that exist within essential organizations. It goes without saying that critical infrastructure, including sectors like energy, water, transportation, healthcare and telecommunications, are foundational to national security and public safety.
The growing adoption of IoT devices across these sectors has introduced new security risks. Increased connectivity has expanded the attack surface, providing more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. As nation-state actors and cybercriminals increasingly target critical infrastructure, organizations need to ramp up their cybersecurity defenses or risk significant disruptions.
Given this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month theme of “Secure Our World,” it’s essential for cybersecurity organizations to stay current on these trends and amplify their unique perspectives on how businesses can protect themselves against today’s ever-evolving threats.
Don’t know where to start? Reach out to learn more about how Walker Sands can help your cybersecurity organization break through the noise.
