In 2016, Industrial Revolution 4.0 digital communications and transactions between users and smart machines increased exponentially. The number of people using devices and the number of devices per person grew and more organizations undertook digital transformation. Widespread adoption came with caveats.
Cyber Criminals Exploit Industrial Revolution 4.0
Legitimate organizations and private citizens weren’t the only ones riding this smart technology wave. Criminals began enhancing existing threats with new techniques while simultaneously designing smarter, more disruptive threats. Some are automated and are generally used to attack groups of small- to mid-sized targets. And there’s also a new breed of cyber criminal that designs multi-layer threats to launch precision attacks on larger targets. These techniques can quickly be deployed independently or in combination on attack surfaces expanded by a growing number of devices —devices that intelligent threats can easily transform from target to weapons, like turning security cameras into a massive army to DDoS victim’s websites and services.
2017 Cybersecurity Predictions
Looking ahead to 2017, organizations simply can’t afford to remain in the dark about advances in cyber crime technology. Forward-thinking companies need to educate themselves about the evolution of cyber threats and the possible impact on their organizations:
- Smart threats will become smarter and require more intelligent defenses. We’ve already seen the massive developments in cyber threats. Moving forward, we expect cybercriminals to incorporate adaptive technologies that leverage success-based learning to create malware that autonomously develops and continuously refines strategies based on the defenses—or lack thereof—it encounters.
- There will be a call to hold IoT manufacturers accountable for security breaches. As the public becomes more aware of the vulnerability of IoT devices, there will be a push to establish and enforce security standards to make devices more secure. Failure to do this could have an enormous economic impact if consumers’ concerns for their digital security impacts sales.
- The increasing number of IoT devices will weaken attack links in the cloud. According to Business Insider, by 2020, approximately 24 billion IoT devices will be connected to the Internet. Traditional devices such as tablets and smartphones will comprise another 10 billion connected devices. As mentioned above, these endpoint devices are highly vulnerable to threats — and give cyber criminals billions of opportunities to exploit them as attack vectors. Companies must respond by adopting robust security measures, including fabric-based security.
- Attackers will focus on smart cities. Cybercriminals intent on high-impact civil disruption will concentrate their efforts on disrupting smart city infrastructure and management systems.
- Ransomware will come of age. Cyber criminals will be able to purchase sophisticated malware at a relatively low cost, enabling them to attack high-profile targets such as large organizations and celebrities. At the same time, there will be an increase in large-scale ransomware attacks on less conspicuous targets that’ll be forced to pay smaller ransoms.
- Technology will become the answer to cyber skills shortage. Despite the rise in cyber threats, there’s a critical shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Organizations will need to work with cyber security providers who can deliver customized solutions that can easily be managed and monitored.
We have full access to the latest, most comprehensive threat intelligence and cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies. Contact us to review your current network security, identify vulnerabilities and discuss effective, multi-layered solutions.