Sectigo Blog
Four Positive Security Trends for 2022
In a recent post, we discussed the known logical errors that the security community continues to make. Now, let's discuss the emerging technologies that can remedy those fallacies. The fallacies we outlined are rooted in the limits of the technologies that facilitate them. The way to remedy them is to remove those limits, and the trends outlined below illustrate how the industry is moving in that direction.
- The Move Toward Passwordless
The rise of work-from-home arrangements across industries has driven enterprises of all kinds to implement passwordless authentication solutions because it helps address the vulnerabilities associated with traditional username/password solutions. Yes, some companies were doing it before, but the fundamental changes to work-life have thrust the idea of passwordless into the spotlight. Microsoft has even opened the practice to average Windows users. With that in mind, the progress around passwordless is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. - Adopting Application-Level Authentication, Network Isolation, and Zero-Trust
Secure enclaves have been commonplace in IoT and mobile devices for years, but
application-level isolation is a relatively new feature for many desktop computers. Integrating that approach into desktop computing increases security because the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is no longer an appendix; it's a requirement. The TPM now functions as a first-class isolation solution on desktop computers, and we're seeing it implemented at both the hardware and OS level. These trends further the push toward zero-trust architecture for personal and enterprise users alike. - The Rise of Memory-Safe Languages
The ability to manipulate memory at the hardware level is incredibly powerful. Traditionally, the problem with this method has been that it's easy to make mistakes that lead to significant security gaps. We've seen the result of using non-memory-safe languages—like OpenSSL—when writing these applications, and so have criminals. Using memory-safe languages like Rust can help developers avoid coding make-or-break mistakes into security applications, which makes cybercriminals' jobs much harder. - The Expansion of Certificate Lifecycle Management Tools
Security professionals finally recognize that Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions are a necessity, not a luxury. Investing in a good CLM platform is a one-stop solution to avoid most of the fallacies described in our recent blog. The vast number of certificates needed to facilitate enterprise-wide passwordless authentication is near impossible to manage without a good CLM solution. Even better? CLM enables the positive trends described above and lightens the load on overworked, understaffed IT departments.
To learn more about the security trends we've seen in 2021, listen to Root Causes, episode 193, "4 Positive Security Trends for 2022."