In an increasingly uncertain world, with internal risks and external social, economic and geopolitical threats to organizational development and automation looming overhead, CSOs have been adopting strategies to be prepared for operating in uncertain times. Ransomware, data breaches and fraud are unabating, with cyber insecurity as well as misinformation and disinformation being the top and fourth risks, respectively, for the upcoming two years as projected in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024. 

The attack surface gets ever more complex with the increased adoption of cloud and artificial intelligence (AI), and thanks to generative AI (genAI) and IoT connectivity. Hackers are already attacking concentrations of common software and services to leverage their returns on investment. Critical infrastructure continues to be targeted as entire city networks, emergency networks, water treatment plants and power utilities are breached amidst rising geopolitical tensions. 

Ultimately, preparing for the next big threat entails focusing on cyber resilience, because there are simply no silver bullets in the cyber world. Embracing the hard truth with the inevitability of breaches entails a holistic approach towards developing as well as sustaining strong resilience. Strengthening cyber resilience will increasingly be a core part of the entire enterprise security strategy and entails a few techniques including coordinated protection, analytical monitoring and adaptive response.