E-Business
Check Point Cybersecurity Predictions Expect More Global Attacks, Government Regulation, and Consolidation in 2023
Check Point® Software Technologies, a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, has released its cybersecurity predictions for 2023, detailing the key security challenges that organisations will face over the next year.
Globally, cyberattacks across all industry sectors increased by 28% in the third quarter of 2022 compared to 2021. Check Point predicts a continued sharp rise worldwide, driven by increases in ransomware exploits and in state-mobilised hacktivism driven by international conflicts.
Additionally, Check Point Research has found that cyber threats targeting companies across Africa outnumber those in other parts of the world. Adding further pressure to the volatile environment, organisations’ security teams will face growing pressure as the global cyber workforce gap of 3.4 million employees widens further, and governments are expected to introduce new cyber-regulations to protect citizens against breaches.
The dearth of cybersecurity professionals across Africa means it is more important than ever for the private sector to partner with government and tertiary education institutions to develop relevant education programmes.
These cybersecurity skills programmes can filter through the entire educational environment and create an enabling environment where a much-needed gap can be addressed.
In 2022, cyber criminals and state-linked threat actors continued to exploit organisations’ hybrid working practices, and the increase in these attacks is showing no signs of slowing as the Russia – Ukraine conflict continues to have a profound impact globally.
Meanwhile in Africa, most cyberattacks are targeting the ISP and communication sector, with more than 5 600 attacks per week identified.
Organisations need to consolidate and automate their security infrastructure to enable them to better monitor and manage their attack surfaces and prevent all types of threat with less complexity and less demand on staff resources.
Check Point’s cybersecurity predictions for 2023 fall into four categories: malware and phishing; hacktivism; emerging government regulations; and security consolidation.
Hikes in malware and hacking exploits
- No respite from ransomware: this was the leading threat to organisations in the first half of 2022, and the ransomware ecosystem will continue to evolve and grow with smaller, more agile criminal groups forming to evade law enforcement.
- Compromising collaboration tools: while phishing attempts against business and personal email accounts are an everyday threat, in 2023 criminals will widen their aim to target business collaboration tools such as Slack, Teams, OneDrive, and Google Drive with phishing exploits. These are a rich source of sensitive data given most organisations’ employees continue to often work remotely.
Hacktivism and deepfakes evolve
- State-mobilised hacktivism: in the past year, hacktivism has evolved from social groups with fluid agendas (such as Anonymous) to state-backed groups that are more organised, structured, and sophisticated. Such groups have attacked targets in the US, Germany, Italy, Norway, Finland, Poland, and Japan recently, and these ideological attacks will continue to grow in 2023.
- Weaponizing deepfakes: in October 2022, a deepfake of US President Joe Biden singing ‘Baby Shark’ instead of the national anthem was circulated widely. Was this a joke, or an attempt to influence the important US mid-term elections? Deepfakes technology will be increasingly used to target and manipulate opinions, or to trick employees into giving up access credentials.
Governments step up measures to protect citizens
- New laws around data breaches: the breach at Australian telco Optus has driven the country’s government to introduce new data breach regulations that other telcos must follow, to protect customers against subsequent fraud. We will see other national governments following this example in 2023, in addition to existing measures such as GDPR across the European Union and POPIA in South Africa.
- New national cybercrime task forces: more governments will follow Singapore’s example of setting up inter-agency task forces to counter ransomware and cybercrime, bringing businesses, state departments and law enforcement together to combat the growing threat to commerce and consumers. These efforts are partially a result of questions over whether the cyber-insurance sector can be relied upon as a safety net for cyber incidents. Cross-Africa collaboration and the potential establishment of a continental cybersecurity body could benefit all member states and companies both in terms of common laws and regulations, but also when it comes to providing a unified response to cyberthreats.
- Mandating security and privacy by design: the automotive industry has already moved to introduce measures to protect the data of vehicle owners. This example will be followed in other areas of consumer goods that store and process data, holding manufacturers accountable for vulnerabilities in their products.
Consolidation matters
- Cutting complexity to reduce risks: the global cyber-skills gap grew by over 25% in 2022. Yet organisations have more complex, distributed networks and cloud deployments than ever before because of the pandemic.
Security teams need to consolidate their IT and security infrastructures to improve their defences and reduce their workload, to help them stay ahead of threats. Over two-thirds of CISOs stated that working with fewer vendors’ solutions would increase their company’s security.
Predictions From Check Point Executives:
Issam El Haddioui, Head of Security Engineering, EMEA – Africa, Check Point Software: “The frontier between the cyber world and our everyday lives has become vanishingly small and the impact of a cyber threat can have multiple faces.
“Impact ranges from financial implications caused by ransomware attacks to the disruption of organisational profit flow, to the inability to bring goods and services to citizens. The cyber threat landscape is an evolving environment and therefore cyber security posture enhancement needs to be a continuous journey, with measures that need to be evaluated and adapted to new realities.”
Charnie-Lee Adams-Kruger, Country Manager for Southern Africa at Check Point: “Cybercrime is a global problem that has affected South Africa, both in the private sector and in government. Financial losses have been in the billions and could continue to increase if stricter measures are not put in place. The main target of the African continent is mainly South Africa due to its high connectivity rate, wealth, and GDP per capita.”
Mark Ostrowski, Office of the CTO, Check Point Software: “Deepfakes will go mainstream with hacktivists and cybercriminals leveraging video and voicemails for successful phishing and ransomware attacks.”
Maya Horowitz, VP of Research, Check Point Software: “We are entering a new era of hacktivism, with increasing attacks motivated by political and social causes. Threat actors are becoming increasingly shameless and will turn their attention to critical infrastructure.”
Micki Boland, Office of the CTO, Check Point Software: “We will see a nation-state lead a sustained and lengthy attack against the USA’s power grid, leading to power disruptions impacting critical business and societal functions.”
Deryck Mitchelson, EMEA CISO, Check Point: “Cloud transformation will slow due to cost and complexity, with many firms considering bringing workloads back in-house or to private data centres to reduce their overall threat surface.”
Deryck Mitchelson, EMEA CISO, Check Point Software: “We will see much more debate around and push for security regulation, as the current carrot and stick approach has not worked.”
Dan Wiley, Head of Threat Management, Check Point Software: “The cyber insurance industry is undergoing major tectonic shifts. Companies will most likely not be able to rely on insurance as a safety net for cyber incidents.
Like we have seen with the auto industry, policymakers will act to protect their constituents with legislation holding makers accountable for software defects that create cyber vulnerabilities. In turn, this will put the onus on software vendors to build in security validations.”
Jeremy Fuchs, Research Analyst, Avanan, a Check Point company: “While email and phishing go hand-in-hand and will still be dangerous and proliferate, in 2023 cyber criminals will also turn to business collaboration compromise, with phishing attacks used to access Slack, Teams, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.
“Employees are often loose with sharing data and personal information while using these business apps, making them a lucrative source of data for hackers.”
Jony Fischbein, CISO, Check Point Software: “In our multi-hybrid environment, many CISOs struggle to build a comprehensive security program with multiple vendors. In 2023, CISOs will decrease the number of security solutions deployed in favour of a comprehensive, single solution to reduce complexity.”
Oded Vanunu, Head of Products Vulnerability Research, Check Point Software: “Dramatic increase of digital scams, due to a global economic slowdown and inflation. Cyber criminals will increasingly turn to social media campaigns via Telegram, WhatsApp, and other popular messaging apps. There will also be more cyber-attacks on Web3 blockchain platforms, mainly to overtake platforms and their users’ crypto assets.”
Equinix, global digital infrastructure company, has launched a cutting-edge LG2.3 data centre in Lagos aimed at fueling Nigeria’s booming tech scene.
Equinix officials at the launch
The data centre is designed to provide businesses with secure, reliable, and high-performance colocation and interconnection services, crucial for supporting the increasing demand for digital services across the region.
Nestled in the bustling Lekki Free Zone, LG2.3 is packed with the latest tech, offering businesses the secure and lightning-fast connections they crave. Think of it as the engine room for Nigeria’s online world, designed to handle the explosive growth of digital services.
The launch featured Bruce Owen, president, Equinix’s EMEA, who cut the ribbon to open the data centre.
“Nigeria is our focus,” Owen declared, emphasizing Equinix’s dedication to powering the nation’s digital growth. “The energy here is incredible, and we’re excited to be part of it.”
On his part, Wole Abu, managing director, Equinix’s West Africa, echoed this sentiment highlighting the increasing global demand for digital infrastructure.
“Africa is on the cusp of a digital explosion, and we’re here to support that growth,” he said.
Nigeria’s digital adoption is skyrocketing, driven by a young, tech-savvy population. Businesses are racing to embrace online platforms, and LG2.3 is perfectly positioned to meet their needs.
This investment is set to create a ripple effect, boosting the economy, creating jobs, and fostering innovation.
LG2.3 is set to be a beacon for Africa’s tech potential.
Equinix’s confidence in the continent aims to attract more global players, turning Africa into a digital powerhouse.
This data centre will act as a vital connection hub, empowering businesses to connect and collaborate, bridging the digital divide.
Equinix’s vision extends beyond Nigeria, with plans to expand across Africa.
strategic move reflects their commitment to building a connected and thriving digital ecosystem.
The success of LG2.3 is a testament to the power of public-private partnerships, with the Nigerian government playing a crucial role in attracting investment.
As Nigeria marches towards a digital future, Equinix’s LG2.3 data centre will be a key driver of progress. It’s a powerful symbol of Nigeria’s digital ambition and a catalyst for Africa’s tech revolution.
Microsoft is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a major leap forward into artificial intelligence, unveiling significant updates to its AI assistant, Copilot.
The announcement was made on April 4, 2025, at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, marking a milestone for both Microsoft and the AI industry.
As the tech giant celebrates its golden anniversary, the company is setting its sights firmly on the future, particularly with its AI-driven tools.
Microsoft’s Copilot, which has been integrated into various software tools across its ecosystem, has now received a significant upgrade.
The new features aim to make the Copilot assistant more intelligent, personalised, and proactive, which positions Microsoft as a serious competitor in the AI space against other industry leaders such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
Mustafa Suleyman, head of Microsoft’s AI division, expressed the company’s ambition, saying, “We envision Copilot not just as an assistant, but as a long-term AI companion, one that can learn, adapt, and evolve alongside its users. This goes beyond just responding to commands; it’s about fostering relationships between users and their AI.”
The most notable update to Copilot is its new memory functionality. Now, the assistant can retain information such as preferences, previously used commands, and even personal context, making it more responsive and efficient in future interactions.
This means Copilot can, for example, anticipate a user’s needs based on past behaviours, from scheduling meetings to suggesting restaurants for a night out.
In addition to the memory features, Copilot’s new “Vision” capabilities extend the AI’s functionality across multiple platforms. Windows and mobile users will now be able to interact with Copilot using both the camera and on-screen elements.
This includes actions such as booking appointments, managing tasks, and even shopping online — all in a more interactive and seamless way.
Scott Guthrie, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President, shared his enthusiasm about the potential of these advancements, stating, “With these new capabilities, we’re not just reacting to AI’s capabilities — we’re shaping the future of how users interact with technology. AI can do so much more than just assist with tasks. It can enrich the human experience.”
The updated Copilot is designed to challenge industry competitors like ChatGPT and Claude, offering more personalised and context-aware interactions.
Microsoft has positioned its Copilot as a tool that not only assists users but builds a deeper, more intuitive relationship over time.
The company has also placed a strong emphasis on AI accessibility. With AI’s growing role in everyday tasks, Microsoft aims to make it easier for users to adopt and benefit from these technologies, regardless of their technological proficiency.
Despite past challenges, including legal disputes over privacy and AI ethics, Microsoft continues to push boundaries in the AI space. Guthrie remarked, “This is just the beginning. As we continue to innovate, we are reshaping how people work, interact, and live with technology.”
With Copilot’s advancements, the tech giant hopes to continue its legacy of innovation, making AI tools accessible and useful for people around the world.
By 2027 mobile app usage will decrease by 25 per cent due to AI assistants according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone users will turn to AI assistants, such as Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Meta AI, and others to replace apps for many functions.
In addition to the impact of AI assistants, apps will be consolidated across separate brands and companies, creating mobile app partnerships or consortiums to reach more users per app at scale and defray the cost of creation and maintenance.
“CMOs should begin scenario planning for the impacts of decreased mobile app usage,” said Emily Weiss, Senior Principal for the Gartner Marketing Practice.
“Brands with low app engagement and retention will likely be first impacted – this will be a positive development for brands that are not overly reliant on driving revenue via apps as app development costs will decrease.
Other brands may be severely impacted by the disintermediation of users turning to AI assistants for services. The loss of app users will also result in the loss of first-party data collection and the ability to reach fewer users via mobile push notifications,” Emily added.
By 2026, Over 1/3 of Web Content will be Created for the Purposes of Gen-AI Powered Search According to Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey of 395 respondents between February and March 2024, the average CMO allocated almost a quarter of their digital marketing budget to search.
Other than end users directly visiting a website, search currently drives more traffic to the average commercial enterprise website than any other referral source.
Given this, a loss of search driven traffic due to algorithmic shifts by major search engines would result in tangible, negative commercial impact to any organisation.
“CMOs will need to direct their teams to hire talent with a strong understanding of how GenAI, and broader AI influences, impacts the performance of their content in search algorithms,” said Weiss.
“It will be important to upskill the function by investing in search and content talent with AI skillsets. These associates will need to have familiarity with creating or optimising content to train and rank within evolving search algorithms,” she said.
By 2028 digital Mlmarketers will move 30 per cent of their paid social budget to support advertising and partnerships on subscription-based channels It is becoming more challenging for CMOs to maintain, let alone grow, their reach and engagement among consumers.
This is especially true as consumers shift their tech and media behaviors away from social media, to other platforms and subscription based channels.
Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend survey found that since 2022, paid social has maintained the highest budget allocation for all digital media spend. In 2024, B2C Marketing leaders reported allocating 14.3 per cent for their digital channel budget to social media advertising (an increase from 12.3% in 2023).
“Closed group communities and subscription channels of – fer a potential alternative for social media weary consumers and content creators who want to do more than feed the algorithm,” said Weiss.
“Brands can leverage closedgroup subscription channels – such as Substack, Patreon, and Discord – and the professional creators on them to reach relevant target audiences who are already engaging with content they self-selected into consuming,” she added.
Current AI models, such as large language models (LLMs), lack the agency to autonomously execute tasks and adapt in complex environments.
However, as new levels of intelligence are added, new AI agents are poised to quickly become more capable and reliable as brands seek to address customer facing use cases.
“There will be more AI agents than people, so while current approaches require humans in the loop, this idea will quickly become antiquated.
Marketers will need to determine when and how they can trust AI agents to act on behalf of the brand and customers across key areas,” said Weiss.
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