5 Cybersecurity Threats to Be Aware of in 2020
Organizations in this age are continually faced with the uphill task of running computational procedures that are free from cyber invasions. high-end end increase in connectivity seems to have up the scale of the attack and create more platforms hackers can focus their mischief on. Last year, the number of cyber-attacks around the globe was unprecedented. Exactis, a data mining and marketing firm as an example lost over 340 million users' data to a public server. There were also tens of leaks both in government parastatals and private sectors.
Commercial users were not spared either with malware such as ransomware taking over computer systems and asking for ransom so users can regain access to their systems.
While attacks in 2018 may have appeared extreme, 2019 is expected to pose greater cybersecurity challenges, this is because with new technologies come new advancement, and with more time, hackers also improve on their tools and upgrade them to get better.
Recently, a growing library of new threats has emerged from the dark in the form of malware and phishing as you may have imagined. But unlike previous elementary modes of attacks, hackers now use machine learning, artificial intelligence and superior technology to explore vulnerabilities.
Here are the emerging cyber threats you should worry about in 2020
AI-Generated Deep Fake Video and Audio Threat
How does it feel to have a relative or close friend call you on messenger, have you make a video call with his or her face showing on the other end only for you to find out it's someone else That's entirely depressing you will agree, but that is the nature of the advancement in Deep Fake using Artificial intelligence.
The changing face variant of Snapchat could give you an inkling of what stage Deep fake is and with the increasing advancement in the development of the technology, security expert fears that rates of attack could skyrocket. Some companies are working on countermeasures to help users identify deep fake but as it is with most preventive measures, the technology could take some ample time.
AI-Generated Phishing Emails
Are you surprised that AI seems to be at the fore of the most expensive cyber r attacks? Yes, and this is due to the wave of its positive developments that gives less consideration to its defense. With every new technology comes new threats that often aren't at the center of its build-up.
AI-generated phishing emails are way more dangerous than human-generated phishing because of their subtleness and deadlier effectiveness. Through AI Phishing, criminals can easily stock political tension, mimick respected market and tech authorities to spread fake news which could have very adverse effects.
Crypto-jacking
Cryptocurrency is here to stay, and the incoming of new whitepapers is a testament to the fact that we may be having it here for long. Crypto-jacking is a relatively new attacking system in which hackers mine cryptocurrency by milking the CPU energy of other computer networks without them suspecting.
This they do by installing scripts that subtly run in the background harnessing computer power to help the hackers caused while slowing down the owner's processes and overworking their devices.
Adguard report shows a 31 % increase in Crypto-jacking and numbers are expected to rise.
The bad players install malicious scripts on websites, files and online ads which in turn subtly run on victim's systems. The popularity of Crypto-jacking is because cybercriminals can make money with minimal efforts.
Supply Chain Hacks
High tech functions could require high tech expertise and that is why most companies outsource such functions to supposedly competent tech players while their own staff force faces other internal activities.
But while the sophistication of the contracted firms should provide high-end security. The situation isn't always the case. Supply chain networks are in fact growing on the graphs of factors that put data at risk.
Reports by cybersecurity firm, Aon, express worries with the increase in several outsourced company processes and how the proliferation gives hackers more grounds and openings to launch attacks since not all the caretaker firm can maintain the same level of fortitude.
Cloud Services
As more companies are moving their networks to cloud technology, a function of the numerous benefits it comes with, hackers are redirecting their effort towards invading cloud server centers and carting away users' data in bulk. Among the commonest cloud computing breach are those related to IAM (Identity and Access Management), computing power and data storage.
IAM attacks can include phishing, hijacking and weak authentication control. They pose a great risk to every organization and can have long term damaging effects.
Attack on computing power often involves attackers letting off a stream of traffic to an organization's system so it stops buffering at some point due to overworking, and with data storage cloud problems, millions of data are carted away which sometimes could include highly classified documents, top companies secrets and millions of user data.
The speed with which technology grows is increasing daily, the same is the slope of cyber threats. Companies must protect themselves and their users from invasions that often lead to loss and procedural setbacks.
Sponsoring your staff members on new cybersecurity training can help your staff with the know-how to tackle new threats as they come in. It's a proactive measure towards spending less than you would if the effect of a hack is to be cushioned.