Top 5 cybersecurity stories of 2022: Ukraine war, top-paying IT certifications, ‘quiet quitting’

2022 was an eventful year in cybersecurity. The cost of a data breach reached a new high. The Russia-Ukraine conflict sparked a cyber war. The passwordless authentication movement took some big steps forward. 

VentureBeat’s top trending cybersecurity stories of the past year also included some close looks at the working world. What are the most lucrative IT certifications for IT professionals? What is the true risk of “quiet quitting” in enterprise environments?

The Top 5 Security Stories of 2022

1. Going on offense: Ukraine forms an ‘IT army,’ Nvidia hacks back

There were reports this week that Nvidia has turned the tables on its attacker in a ransomware incident. While this is not directly related to Ukraine’s emerging cyber resistance against Russia, it does seem to resonate.

The Nvidia case and Ukraine’s effort to launch a cyber offensive against Russia, share a common theme: standing one’s ground and pushing back against aggressors, whether those be power-hungry nation-states or cybercriminals.

2. Russia threatens ‘grave consequences’ over cyberattacks, blames U.S.

Russia signaled Tuesday that it’s growing increasingly aggravated by cyberattacks targeting it. These have come from numerous directions in response to its unprovoked assault on Ukraine. 

In a statement reported on by outlets including Reuters and the Russian news agency Tass, Russia’s foreign ministry pledged to uncover the sources of the recent “cyber aggression” and hold those sources responsible.

3. The 15 top-paying IT certifications for 2022

The highest-paying IT certification in the U.S. this year is AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Professional), with an average salary of $168,080. That’s 13% higher than the average salary of the top 15 best-paying certifications, which is $148,278. 

Skillsoft announced its 15 Top-Paying IT Certifications based on its 2022 IT Skills & Salary Report, released September 29. A certification had to have at least 50 survey responses to ensure the data was statistically valid, and the certification exam must be currently available.

Another finding: 65% of technical professionals who have earned one of the top 15 certifications also have a certification in cybersecurity.

Skillsoft says 62% of all respondents earned certifications in the last year.

4. ‘Quiet quitting’ poses a cybersecurity risk that calls for a shift in workplace culture

Are your employees mentally checked out from their positions? According to Gallup, “quiet quitters,” workers who are detached and do the minimum required for their roles, make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce. 

Unengaged employees create security risks for enterprises, as it only takes small mistakes, such as clicking on an attachment in a phishing email or reusing login credentials, to enable a threat actor to gain access to the network.

5. Cybersecurity has 53 unicorns. Here are 10 to watch

It’s true: The term “unicorn” stopped meaning “rare” years ago. And today, in the cybersecurity market alone, there are actually dozens of privately held companies with billion-dollar valuations.

But while becoming a unicorn may not signify what it used to, it’s not a meaningless milestone, either. At least in the security market, getting a billion-dollar valuation usually does indicate that the startup has a fast-growing business underway, among other things.