Predict 2022: Down the Cybersecurity Rabbit Hole

In “Alice in Wonderland,” Alice follows the white rabbit as he hurries into his hole and enters a fantastical world. The resulting saga was fantasy in its purest form, full of impossible situations and outrageous characters that, more than 100 years later, remain open to interpretation.

There are several ways cybersecurity can be compared with Alice’s adventures, with security professionals constantly going down the rabbit hole and encountering things that can only be described as curiouser and curiouser. And with each turn, cyberthreats menace and seek to destroy, much like the Queen of Hearts (“Off with his head!”). But, unlike Alice, who was wholly unprepared for her adventure, cybersecurity professionals can get a glimpse through their own looking glass at the upcoming Predict 2022 virtual conference, January 19 and 20.

In a session titled, “Top 5 Cybersecurity Threats in 2022,” Mike Jones, aka The H4UNT3D HACKER, and Donovan Farrow, CEO of Alias, offer their insights into what organizations need to be aware of and prepared for. 2021 was a record year for cyber incidents; all indications are that this year will be even worse. Jones is an ethical hacker and host of a podcast that runs on Techstrong TV; Farrow’s organization plays heavily in security forensics. Together, they paint a picture of cybersecurity threats that span individuals, organizations, infrastructure and nation-states.

Unsurprisingly, ransomware topped lists that both prepared for the event. From there, however, the lists diverge, with Jones focusing more on the threats posed due to geopolitical tensions, nation-state activity and targeted attacks on infrastructure. Farrow, meanwhile, focuses on more business-related threats such as remote access, incident response and even patching (or the lack thereof). Regardless of source and target, each threat is worth considering in the bigger picture of keeping critical data and infrastructure secure.

The 45-minute presentation is chock full of takeaways for organizations of all sizes and offers the unique perspective that only those who are heavily immersed in cybersecurity can provide. Hopefully, their conversation will spur a greater understanding of the threats to every company, no matter how large or small, and be a catalyst for thinking beyond the security norm.

As Alice asked the Cheshire Cat upon entering Wonderland, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.

In cybersecurity, no truer words have been spoken.

Interested in learning more about Predict 2022? Click here to check out the agenda and speaker lineup and register.

Avatar photo

Charlene O’Hanlon

Charlene O’Hanlon is Chief Operating Officer at Techstrong Group and Editor at Large at Techstrong Media. She is an award-winning journalist serving the technology sector for 20 years as content director, executive editor and managing editor for numerous technology-focused sites including DevOps.com, CRN, The VAR Guy, ACM Queue and Channel Partners. She is also a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.

charlene has 55 posts and counting.See all posts by charlene