Cyber security threats and trends
A host of new and evolving cyber security threats has the information security industry on high alert. Ever-more sophisticated cyber-attacks involving malware, phishing, machine learning and artificial intelligence have placed the data and assets of corporations, governments and individuals at constant risk.
One thing the experts agree on is that cybercrime is here to stay; in fact, as our dependence on technology continues to grow, it may even be getting worse and we can expect an increased potential for:
- Disruption — Over-reliance on fragile connectivity creates the potential for premeditated internet outages capable of bringing trade to its knees and
- Distortion — The intentional spread of misinformation, including by bots and automated sources, causes trust in the integrity of information to be compromised.
Based on available data, we can expect to see a spike in cybersecurity threats and some of the main areas of concern are:
1. Phishing Gets More Sophisticated
Phishing attacks, in which carefully targeted digital messages are transmitted to fool people into clicking on a link that can then install malware or expose sensitive data, are becoming more sophisticated.
2. Ransomware Strategies Evolve
Ransomware attacks are believed to cost victims billions of dollars every year, as hackers deploy technologies that enable them to literally kidnap an individual or organization’s databases and hold all of the information for ransom.
3. Crypto-jacking
The cryptocurrency movement also affects cybersecurity in other ways. For example, crypto-jacking is a trend that involves cybercriminals hijacking third-party home or work computers to “mine” for cryptocurrency.
For businesses, crypto-jacked systems can cause serious performance issues and costly downtime as IT works to track down and resolve the issue.
4. State-Sponsored Attacks
Beyond hackers looking to make a profit through stealing individual and corporate data, entire nation-states are now using their cyber skills to infiltrate other governments and perform attacks on critical infrastructure.
Computer cyber security giant McAfee has predicted that: “Nation-state cyber warfare will become an equalizer, shifting the balance of power in many international relationships”.
Cyber Security
The cyber-crime epidemic has escalated rapidly in recent years, while companies and governments have struggled to hire enough qualified professionals to safeguard against the growing threat. This trend is expected to continue into 2019 and beyond.
If you would like to find out how best to secure your data, contact Ryan of ABACON IT on 0726012858