CYBER SECURITY – Will 2023 See More Cyber Crime?

No doubt cyber crime will continue. But what new tricks will cyber criminals find? How effective will they be? The answers to these questions are hard to answer now, but PC Magazine asked a variety of cyber security experts for their predictions on cyber crime trends in 2023. Here are some potential trends.

Personal Online Safety. Overall, the experts do not expect cyber criminals to stop trying to get personal information from businesses or individuals. As larger businesses take more steps to protect the information that they possess from hacking, some experts expect that hackers will move their focus on to small/medium businesses and individuals. Small businesses generally do not have the resources to implement the same security measures as larger businesses. Some experts say they have detected heightened consumer awareness about the importance of cyber security, and they expect consumers to push businesses and government to do more to protect personal data.

Others point out that successful techniques such as phishing and ransomware with probably continue to be used by cyber criminals. While newer technologies such as AI might see some use, some analysts think we will still see the old standbys.

Social Media. Some social media users have been migrating from major social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook) to newer platforms (Mastodon, Hive Social, Post) due to their fear of disinformation and online harassment. Newer social media platforms will see big challenges in keeping their users’ information secure. Many social media platforms are likely to implement protocols such as multi-factor authentication and sophisticated password management.   

Ransomware on the Rise. Ransomware will continue to grow as a threat to high-profile targets and individuals. This growth is due to the spread of ransomware as a service (RaaS). RaaS is a business model where a cybercriminal uses purchased or rented software tools to conduct a ransomware attack. This way, someone without programming skills can use ransomware without having to develop and maintain the software. Also, a ransomware developer can leverage their product by selling or renting his software to other cybercriminals.

Also, small to medium size businesses provide fertile ground for ransomware expansion since those businesses often lack the resources to provide full fledged protection of their data.

AI on the Attack. At least one expert expects cyber criminals to increasingly use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to launch self-propagating attacks for data breaches, disinformation, and disruption of critical infrastructure such as power grids or transportation. While tried and true techniques will continue to be implemented, the potential growth of AI in cyber crime creates a system that can learn, react, and modify itself with little human intervention.

Like other criminals, cybercriminals try to take advantage of opportunities to steal personal information, data, or funds. Modern computer technology provides many opportunities. As major companies and cyber security experts take away those opportunities, cybercriminals will try to find other opportunities to keep the money rolling into their coffers.

For individuals, being aware of the dangers and the most current best practices will continue to be essential to protecting their own privacy, personal information, and security.

 

 

PC Magazine:

https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/2023-could-be-a-security-nightmare-heres-why