Threats from Foreign Agents Will Drive Cybersecurity Investments in 2019, Says KPMG

An increase in cyber warfare and continued government investment in attack infrastructures are among the top trends driving cybersecurity in 2019, according to David Ferbrache, CTO in KPMG’s cybersecurity practice. Ferbrache highlights the most recent US intelligence worldwide threat assessment, which suggests that 33 countries now have cyber-attack capabilities, up from 14 in 2012. “It would seem that cyber forces and commands have become an integral part of any nation’s armed forces, not just their intelligence apparatus,” says Ferbrache. Cybersecurity investments from companies in the private sphere also spiked in 2018. A survey conducted by PwC found that firms in finance and insurance invested the most money on cyber security at a significant average of £17,900. This marked a phenomenal 85% increase from the previous financial year (April 2017 – March 2017), when finance and insurance firms were spending an average of £9,650. While interested parties agree that investment into cybersecurity is necessary, consensus is lacking on what constitutes adequate cyber-threat protection, according to Ferbrache. “Consensus over international norms of behaviour in the cyberspace will remain elusive with countries creating more intrusive regulatory and legal frameworks to address cyber security concerns,” he explains. “Balkanisation of the internet will continue and global firms will become increasingly frustrated. The Paris call for trust and security in cyberspace was a step in the right direction, but it did not win universal support with many countries holding very different views on what constitutes the core of their national cybersecurity.”