The telecommunications industry is the MVP of modern society, connecting the global population and enabling infrastructure depended on by businesses, governments and everyday individuals. Because of this and the worlds increasing reliance on digital communication and cloud services, the telecoms industry has got quite the target on its back. In 2024 the telecoms industry has unfortunately seen its more-than fair share of cyberattacks but this has however inspired advancements in cybersecurity as well. Let’s explore this further.
Significant incidents of 2024
1. A Ransomware Attack on a Major Telco
Earlier this year, a popular Telco (telecoms service provider) was the victim of a ransomware attack which led to the compromise of their customers’ data. Despite the considerable pressure placed on the Telco to pay the $200 million ransom demands, they refused and rather placed their focus on restoring their services that were affected, and enhancing their cybersecurity.
2. DDoS Attacks
Telco’s were plagued by Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks during 2024 which lead to millions of their customers being unable to access telecoms services. These attacks exposed common vulnerabilities found in multiple Telco’s network infrastructure, prompting rather urgent calls for cybersecurity to be improved and taken more seriously across the telecoms industry.
3. Quantum Communication Breach
Quantum communication, a technology considered to be un-hackable, was indeed hacked in 2024. This raised concerns about the quality of security frameworks surrounding emerging technologies within the telecoms industry.
Despite these threats experienced, the telecoms industry has focused and invested heavily in the advancements of cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity Improvements
1. Zero Trust Frameworks
Telco’s have begun adopting Zero Trust security models in response to the growing number of cyberattacks and the increased sophistication of cyberattacks. This approach is based on the assumption that cyberthreats can originate from outside and inside the telco network and because of this, every person and device must be verified before being allowed access to a Telco’s infrastructure.
2. Threat Detection using AI and ML
Integrating AI and ML technologies into cybersecurity has made it possible for Telco’s to find and respond to cyberthreats swiftly and effectively as they can identify unusual patterns, anomalies and make predictions faster than their human counterparts, potentially finding vulnerabilities before anyone or anything has the opportunity to exploit them.
3. Collaboration
Teleco’s, governments and international cybersecurity organizations are beginning to work more closely together sharing information and best practices when it comes to current and emerging cyberthreats.
As we look toward 2025, there is no doubt that the cybersecurity landscape will continue to evolve and in order to stay ahead of cyberthreats, Telco’s must continue to develop and invest in cybersecurity solutions and continue to embrace collaboration.
