On the front lines of the constantly mutating war that is cybersecurity, it’s often hard to tell who the enemy really is. From nation-state actors to bored teenagers, and from dissatisfied employees to skilled lone rangers, the threats faced by cybersecurity teams are myriad.

This diversity of threat actors is accompanied by a host of different entry points, targets and methods, so it is no surprise that those working against the cybercriminals also have significant variation in their techniques, mindsets and perspectives on cybersecurity. And as we head into 2020, there are whole new challenges to come.

In this issue of Verdict Encrypt, we hear about issues and perspectives from across the cybersecurity spectrum to get a snapshot of the current state of the field, and find out about some of the emerging concerns that are set to dominate in the next decade – or at least the first part of it.

We hear about a new threat actor known as Silent Starling that is taking business email compromise to an entirely new level. 2020 is the year vendor email compromise is set to rise, and businesses need to be prepared to protect themselves.

One issue we hope to see better tackled in the 2020s is the issue of unsecured databases being left online. It’s been a shockingly widespread issue in 2019, responsible for breaches impacting millions, so will things get any better in 2020?

Then there is the matter of the US elections. Election hacking has been a concern in every recent cycle, but as the capabilities of cybercriminals rise by the year, what can we expect this time around?

Meanwhile, critical infrastructure attacks have been a concern for some time, but the issue is only likely to get more serious at time goes on. We find out how smart grids are creating ever-greater attack surfaces for hackers to exploit, and what tools can be used to respond.

Away from the big topics, we also hear from key voices in the cybersecurity space about the changing risks and key challenges the world of data faces.

We speak to Duo Security’s Dug Song on the state and future of cybersecurity, find out what F-Secure red teamer Tom Van de Wiele makes of current enterprise security and hear how notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden believes companies should be approaching data management.

For all this, and much more, read on in the latest issue of Verdict Encrypt.

Lucy Ingham

Editor