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
