From worms to Trojans, viruses to bugs, cyber-crime is vast and ever changing, however it’s not uncommon for attack trends to appear. Here we cover some of the commonalities we expect to see in 2017 and what you should look out for.
Your Phone Will Come Under Threat
Cyber-criminals have been targeting desktop computers for years as this was once our one and only way to make online transactions. However, as technology advances, as does criminals’ opportunities.
In 2017, we think there will be an increasing number of stories reported where consumer devices (like smartphones, smart watches, smart TVs or tablets) have been the main target.
Data Manipulation Will Become More Mainstream
Data theft and holding information to ransom has long been a favourite technique used by cyber criminals, but over the next year or so we predict a trend towards data manipulation. This is where criminals hack into databases and make subtle edits.
It’s important that you protect yourself through antivirus software or you can protect yourself via an antivirus app which you can download from Google Play Store. This is specifically a droid antivirus software.
These kinds of attacks can compromise the integrity of a company and have much further reaching, long-term effects – especially to an organisation’s reputation.
Cyber-crime Will Get Even More Complex
There’s a rat race in the cyber-security industry between criminals and security experts. Security professionals are constantly educating themselves in order to decrease the knowledge gap between them and the criminals’, but the hackers are developing too, so there’s a constant game of catch-up.
Thanks to a worldwide skills shortage, this gap has been getting increasingly larger over recent years and, if businesses do not start implementing the necessary technology, we would expect this to continue in 2017 thanks to knowledge shared on the dark and seep web.
Hacks Will Become Even More Profitable
Hacking into networks and holding data ransom until a fee is paid is not new, however, in 2016 a number of pyramid scheme-style ransom-ware attacks emerged. In short, these infections were released and victims were told they could get a discount (or even have files decrypted for free) if they successfully shared the virus with others.
We predict this will become more prominent over the next 12 months, therefore ensuring staff have the appropriate online security training will be more important than ever.
The Cyber-security Job Market Will Grow Exponentially
With more and more organisations recognising the need for online security, there is likely to be a higher demand for skilled security experts. There is currently a plethora of opportunities available for candidates, therefore the recruitment side may become even more competitive as organisations fight over talented individuals.
Cyber Insurance Will be in Demand
Awareness of cyber threats is on the rise, this not only translates into a demand for security technology and trained experts, but also specialist insurance too. We predict the cyber insurance industry will see decent growth over the next 12 months as organisations seek both preventative measures and damage cover.
Maytech offers secure cloud data transfer and online storage solutions to companies in over 60 industries in 35 countries worldwide. If you would like to learn more about how you can improve your organisation’s security, discover more about what they do here.
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