CYBERATTACKS PREDICTIONS FOR 2019

THE BREACH OF THE PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF THE MARRIOTT AND STAR WOOD CUSTOMERS HAS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON CYBER SECURITY. THE THREAT LANDSCAPE IS HUGE. MISUSE OF DATA; ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND MACHINE LEARNING ARE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORDS HELPING ATTACKERS AND DEFENDERS. IN 2019 WE ARE ONLY GOING TO SEE AN INCREASE.

SKIMMING: 

It is a technique where once hackers gain access to an online website's  'source code' they have control. It hard to detect and near-impossible to track. 

CRYPTOJACKING:

Users computers (or websites they visit) are hacked to mine cryptocurrencies using hidden code, for the benifit of the third parties.

WEBSKIMMERS (MAGECART ATTACKS):

They skim credit card details fromm unsecured payment forms on websites. Magecart attacks exploit weaknesses in the code of the payment processing pages.

BOTNET:

Computers and devices can be remotely controlled by a hacker. the bot network is used to send spam. The power of botnets is massive, as even small botnets can inflict massive damage.

RANSOMWARE:

Hackers take over your computer denying you access to your data. The attacker demands a ransom, promising to restore access to data upon payment. The most common methods of ransomware is phishing.

 spam - attachments that come in an email as a file.

FINANCIAL CRIME:

The perpetratiors of financial crime are hidden in customer or third-party networks.

EMAIL ATTACKS:

Allows third parties to directly target employees within an organisation.

THE DARK WEB:

The dark web requires a special browser tool known as the TOR browser. which is fully encrypted and anonymous. the anonymous nature of the Tor network makes it vulnerable to DDOS attacks.

MALWARE: 

Allows the attackers to respone with commands or downloads. Attackers will use commonly open service ports, such as http, https and DNS. Malware can steal, encrypt or delete sensitive data, alter core computing functions and monitoring users activity.

EXPLOIT KITS:

They are automated threats that utilise compromised website to divert web traffic. Exploit kits were developed to silently exploit vulnerabilities on victims  machines while browsing.  

MALVERTISING:

Attackers buy ad space in popular websites and load them with infected ads.

THE CLOUD:

Cloud infrastructure is one of the most attractive targets because of the vast amount of senisitive data that exists. Cryptojacking has entered the Cloud because of the availability of vast computing resources.