Meanwhile, the cyber threat landscape remains volatile. High profile incidents capture the attention of the public and media, and cyber incidents continue to challenge and impose costs on the organisations affected, often for a significant length of time. Cyber criminals continue to find ways to evade defences and inflict costs, even in the face of tightening legislation and combined law enforcement activity. Established approaches to setting and enforcing cyber norms are less reliably dissuading sophisticated cyber actors.
Looking ahead to 2024, it will be important for Aotearoa New Zealand organisations to embed good processes – both in technical controls and in cyber security governance. In cyberspace, malicious actors are becoming more adept at covering their tracks and circumnavigating traditional defences. We expect this trend to hold in the coming year, with novel botnets, or increasing use of legitimate tools for malicious purposes. The situation in Ukraine may change rapidly, and activity in cyberspace may trigger escalations with significant consequences.
For the NCSC, the coming year will continue to be one of growth and change. As part of this process, we welcome our partners at CERT NZ as colleagues. Our collective strengths will combine to create an even more effective operational agency, ready to respond to the growing cyber security threat faced by people and businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand.