Safety and mission-critical industries face an ever-evolving threat landscape and technological evolution. However, new innovation serves to help companies manage these threats and better serve their customers in this sector. As we head into 2023, these are some of the main defense and cybersecurity trends that we can expect to see this year.
1. Adoption of AI/ML for Defense
The debut of ChatGPT in late 2022 was many peoples’ first introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The GPT-3 model used in the chatbot displayed impressive capabilities, and the upcoming GPT-4 promises even more.
ChatGPT is already actively used for cyber offense and defense, and it reflects a general trend toward the greater use of AI/ML for cybersecurity. In the 2022 Cost of a Data Breach report, the adoption of an AI platform for cyber defense is listed as the factor with the greatest impact on the cost of a data breach. Using AI for cyber defense decreases the average cost of a breach by $300,075, or nearly 7%.
AI/ML technology has wide applicability, and these systems are rapidly maturing. In 2023, AI/ML will increasingly be used for defensive cybersecurity tasks, such as identifying attempted attacks, triaging alert data, and automating IT and cyber defense activities.
2. Trusted Supply Chain
The SolarWinds hack was the first in a series of high-profile supply chain attacks. In some cases, attackers compromised an organization and exploited trust relationships to gain access to their vendors, customers, and suppliers. In others, malicious or vulnerable code was embedded in open-source libraries and software, compromising the applications and organizations that use it.
A secure supply chain is essential to the integrity and security of an organization, its software, and the additional organizations that cooperate within the network. As supply chain exploits continue to be a major tactic used by cyber threat actors, companies in all sectors — but especially in high-risk sectors such as the defense industry — will focus strategic investment on identifying and addressing potential third-party risks in their supply chains.
3. Cybersecurity
Over the last couple of years, President Biden has made cybersecurity a priority for government agencies and the defense sector. Executive orders and new laws have mandated additional reporting of security incidents in particular sectors and taken action to improve cybersecurity protections against modern and emerging threats.
Whether directly or indirectly, the renewed focus on cybersecurity within the US government has a significant impact on the defense sector. Defense contractors and other organizations that want to work with the US government will need to demonstrate compliance with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and other laws, standards, and best practices. Achieving, maintaining, and demonstrating strong cybersecurity will continue to be a defense trend for mission-critical industries in 2023 and beyond.
Stay Secure in the Ever-Changing Threat Landscape
Performance Defense continues to provide trusted engineering services and solutions for safety and mission-critical industries. Learn more about how our full-lifecycle hardware and software development services and the EDGE 5G-X Solution Suite can help your organization achieve its goals in 2023.
