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The changing face of cybersecurity: Dead technology and emerging crimes
Although one security firm recently caught much attention by proclaiming that antivirus solutions were "dead," some experts are now noting that this statement is not as surprising as it may seem. While antivirus software as long been a staple of cybersecurity, the changing threat environment has surpassed this safeguarding measure, ZDNet noted.
Furthermore, one protection provider stated that this is simply a matter of fact, and that antivirus software has not been a mainstay of information safety for five to six years. These days, security firms offer a range of other, more robust protection solutions to prevent infections of attacks outside of viruses.
"We haven't been fighting computer viruses in forever," noted security advisor Sean Sullivan. "[But] because people don't know the difference between a virus, a worm, or a Trojan, everything gets called a computer virus. The bulk of it is exploits which get hackers in the door and Trojans which people are tricked into install."
Additionally, the items needing protection have changed as well. Security expert Timo Laaksonen said these days, organizations and individual users should be working to safeguard sensitive information related to their identities. Instead of just protecting PCs, security firms are seeking to prevent identity theft on a range of different devices.
The emerging cybercrime environment: Crimes to come in the next decade
Just as the devices and content being protected has changed in recent years, so too have the attack strategies and targets being leveraged by hackers. This trend is poised to continue in the future, as cybercriminals increasingly utilize new technologically advanced techniques to infiltrate a range of different devices and victims.
One such prediction of future crimes includes cyber-hacking, which gained traction as part of recent conspiracy theories surrounding the missing Malaysian Air flight, stated Casaba co-founder Jason Glassberg in a FOXBusiness article. Many speculated that the missing aircraft had been hacked by cybercriminals and was being remotely operated. While this may seem far fetched, experts predict that this type of occurrence may become more realistic in the near future.
"This could range of exploiting the plane's flight management system, to attacking ground-based systems that the plane relies on, spoofing or interfering with air traffic control transmissions or infecting the air traffic control system with fake "ghost" planes and making real planes disappear," Glassberg wrote.
Another crime wave of the future may involve malware that targets internal medical devices like Wi-Fi connected pacemakers or insulin pumps. Glassberg calls this human malware, and stated that this type of attack has already been proven possible. Cybercriminals could take advantage of medical devices' wireless reporting systems for a malware attack that could interrupt the functionality of the implant.
In the upcoming years, cyberthieves may also take a new approach to bank fraud, called brick attacks. With this technique, the hacker sidesteps the entire processing of trying to steal card numbers and instead goes to the source, deleting all information related to an account.
"In the 'brick attack,' hackers don't just try to steal money or information - they just destroy it," Glassberg wrote. "They do so by infecting the computers and servers that store this data with malware that renders them completely useless, unable to be turned on again (i.e., 'bricks')."
In this emerging threat environment, users and businesses will have to do more to protect their assets. Alongside or instead of an antivirus program, individuals should also deploy monitoring software that can alert them to suspicious activities connected with a range of different infections. Also, safeguarding sensitive information and identity-connected content can be achieved through encryption that can make these materials indecipherable to any unauthorized third parties.
Protect data in transit with an SSL certificate today.
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