Security Predictions for 2021from the (ISC)² Community of Security Professionals (PART 1)

By Diana-Lynn Contesti, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, CSSLP, SSCP, John Martin, CISSP-ISSAP, and Richard Nealon, CISSP-ISSMP, CISSP, SSCP, SCF, CISM, CISA

2020 was a year of change. It changed the way that folks work and how they interact with each other. Wondering what 2021 might look like for information security professionals? This is the first in a series of posts where we will discuss what we believe 2021 may have in store for information security professionals.

Some of the issues faced by security professionals in 2021/2022 will include (but are not limited to) the evolving landscape of privacy, and the ongoing necessity for remote access. The advent of 5G and AI, and the question of whether we will continue to be plagued by ransomware. We will see changes happening with new laws/regulations related to the Internet of Things and the devices that are intended to improve our lifestyle.

Privacy

Work will continue with new laws and regulations being passed daily. Security practitioners will need to stay aware of all the changes as the laws/standards are becoming widespread and continually changing (and sometimes will need to resolve differences for potentially conflicting legislation e.g. in different jurisdictions).

During the last presidential election in the U.S., Californians passed the latest version of the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) which enhances the existing California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Changes such as this are key to information security professionals as the new laws have subtle changes that will affect how you protect data.

If you work in a global organization, we found a good comparison of GDPR, CCPA, and CPRA here: security predictions 2021from community security professionals