Most Popular Cybersecurity Blogs from 2023

As articulated in the year-end cyber review last month, generative AI stole the show in 2023 for the top topic of the year. There were more impactful cyber attacks facing every critical infrastructure sector, ransomware attacks impacting businesses and governments, and much more. More disruptions are set to continue in 2023, if the top security industry predictions for 2024 are even partially correct. In fact, we again had more cybersecurity predictions than ever — leading to this part 2 for 2024 cyber industry forecasts.

So what were the most popular “Lohrmann on Cybersecurity” blogs in the past year? Of course, I hope you’ll read all of the posts, but the list of top blogs below tells a wider story of what readers like and want to see more of.

In case you missed these, please read and share. We crunch the numbers every January and offer you the opportunity to go back and focus on the details within topics that others are reading and spending their time on, or that have special significance.

MOST POPULAR "LOHRMANN ON CYBERSECURITY" BLOGS IN 2023

According to the data, here are the most popular blogs from the past year:

1. From Progress to Bans: How Close Are Human Microchip Implants? — A lot has happened in the past 12 months regarding human microchip implants. Here’s your roundup of recent developments.
   
2. 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Appeal: Make Online Security Easier — Surveys show that most Americans think online security is too hard, confusing and frustrating. So as we prepare for Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the goal is to make cybersecurity easy.
   
3. What’s New in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 Draft? — NIST has released a draft version 2.0 of the Cybersecurity Framework. Here’s what you need to know and how to get your recommendations included.
   
4. The Top 24 Security Predictions for 2024 (Part 1) — Where next for cyber in 2024? Here’s your annual roundup of cybersecurity forecasts, top cyber trends and cybersecurity industry prediction reports as we head into calendar year 2024.
   
5. Are You a Real Person? Proving You're Human Online — CAPTCHAs have been around for decades, but new AI advances are changing the methods required to prove you are a real person. So where next with human verification — and user frustrations?
   
6. The Top 24 Security Predictions for 2024 (Part 2) — Where next for cyber in 2024? Here’s part two of your annual roundup of cybersecurity forecasts, top cyber trends and cybersecurity industry prediction reports as we head into calendar year 2024.
   
7. Chip Implants: Opportunities, Concerns and What Could Be Next (note that this blog was first posted in 2022) — There were new developments in 2021 regarding implanting microchips into humans. So what plans were announced for 2022? And just as important, what are the privacy and security ramifications?
   
8. CL0P Ransomware Gang Attacks Top June Cyber Headlines — The CL0P ransomware gang, reportedly based in Russia, has breached at least 122 organizations using MOVEit zero day exploits. Here’s what you need to know.
   
9. What CIOs Can Learn from Airbnb’s Official ‘Party Pooper’ — Every organization has behaviors they are trying to discourage or stop. So what can we learn from Airbnb’s use of data and AI to achieve overall business goals?
   
10. What’s in the New National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan — The White House just released the new National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan. Here are the details, selected media coverage and what you need to know moving forward.
    
11. Fingernail Chip Implants? West Virginia's CISO Sees Value — West Virginia CISO Danielle Cox has embedded RFID chips in her fingernails. She finds ease-of-use advantages and minimal downsides. Here’s her story, including why and how it’s done. 

There is a definite message in this list regarding popular cyber topics. Clearly, articles that cover human microchip implants get a lot of attention, and the top post — From Progress to Bans: How Close Are Human Microchip Implants? — was more than three times more popular than No. 2 on the list.

As always, the prediction reports continue to get wide global attention, and a Google search of the phrase “security predictions” will show these two-part blogs as the top of the list worldwide with over 245 million results competing for that top slot.

Some of the attention on these blogs also comes from webinars and other online resources that highlight the material. For example, the free CISO Insights BrighTALK channel saw a record turnout for our blog on these security predictions. Also, that channel has grown to almost 10,000 subscribers.

One other way of measuring blog content metrics is to look at how many other websites, portals, social media sites and other online content homes mention, summarize (and hopefully link to) this content. This blog is syndicated on the Security Bloggers Network (at Security Boulevard) and Muck Rack.

Also, I often post blog excerpts on LinkedIn, and many other global websites link to this content. For example, "The Top 24 Security Predictions for 2024 (Part 1)" shows up at 4,300 websites globally.

THANK YOU

I want to thank you, my readers, for another year of growth writing for "Lohrmann on Cybersecurity." I don’t take my audience for granted, and I know you have a wide range of materials to choose from. I am glad you read this column.

I also want to thank the great editors and the entire staff at Government Technology magazine for all of their help in the process of improving my content.

It is a privilege, blessing and source of true joy to write this weekly blog, and I look forward to creating even more compelling, human-centered, intriguing cybersecurity content in 2024.