“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles…”. Sun Tzu.
Here’s my tips on the things you should look out for this year:
1. THE RISE OF THE SMART PHONE ATTACK
Research company Gartner predicts there will be 6.8 billion connected devices in use this year which is a 30% increase from 2015. Gartner also predicts that by 2020, that number will jump to more than 20 billion connected devices.
Smartphones present the biggest security risk this year as they are particularly attractive to cybercriminals because of the sheer number in use and multiple ways of attack, including malicious apps and internet browsing.
2. THE RISE OF THE HEADLESS WORMS
Worms are nasty bits of code that float through millions of devices. Fortinet global security strategist Derek Manky predicts that we will see the first ‘headless worms’ this year, a malicious code that will target ‘headless devices’ such as smartphones and smartwatches. Headless worm threats can easily multiply across billions of connected devices.
3. ATTACK OF THE CLOUD
It is also predicted that there will be a large number of attacks this year on cloud infrastructure. Cloud based Mobile apps will provide an inlet for hackers to remotely attack cloud networks and access corporate networks.
4. THE RISE OF GHOSTWARE
To conceal attacks hackers will start using more Ghostware. It’s a form of malware designed to penetrate networks but carefully hide its tracks. Ghostware makes it very difficult for businesses to track what and how much data has been compromised after a hack.
5. EMERGENCE OF TWO-FACED MALWARE
Larger companies will often test new software in a safe environment called a sandbox. As hackers frequently change their approaches, Sandboxes are very effective at identifying any new potential threats.
However, hackers are now creating malicious software that remains undetected under surveillance but cleverly morphs into malicious code once it’s no longer under suspicion. This is known as two-faced malware.
I hope the above is useful. To find out more about other emerging threats please call us on 01892 575675 or email haydon.kirby@infinity.uk.com and one of our IT Security specialists will be pleased to advise you on the risks to your current setup.
Haydon Kirby of Infinity
