{"id":6516,"date":"2024-02-09T07:10:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T07:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.limbtec.com\/newsite\/?p=6516"},"modified":"2024-02-05T08:24:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T08:24:58","slug":"5-new-cybersecurity-threats-you-need-to-be-very-prepared-for-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.limbtec.com\/newsite\/5-new-cybersecurity-threats-you-need-to-be-very-prepared-for-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"5 New Cybersecurity Threats You Need To Be Very Prepared For This Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The year of 2023 marked a significant turning point for cyber-attacks with the introduction and wide proliferation of AI (artificial intelligence), now in the hands of people who wish to do you harm and who are actively using it to find faster and easier ways to rob you, extort you or simply burn your business to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I write this, I\u2019m well aware there\u2019s a tendency to shrug and just accept the \u201cwe\u2019re all gonna get hacked anyway\u201d mantra to avoid having to deal with it. Further, like overhyped weather reports, it\u2019s also tempting to just ignore the warning signs, thinking all of this is just fearmongering rhetoric designed to sell stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it truly is becoming a situation where the question is no longer IF your organization will be hacked, but WHEN. The Hiscox Cyber Readiness report recently revealed that 53% of all businesses suffered at least ONE cyber-attack over the last 12 months with 21% stating the attack was enough to threaten the viability of their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year is going to be a particularly nasty one, given the U.S. presidential election along with the ongoing wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Hamas. Tensions are high and hacking groups are often motivated by revenge as well as money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, here are the 5 biggest developments in cyber threats you need to know about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Proliferation Of AI Powered Attacks:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If cybersecurity is a chess game, AI is the Queen, giving the person in possession the most powerful advantage for whomever plays it best. All cyber-related reports expect to see highly sophisticated deepfake social engineering attacks on the rise designed to separate you from your money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve already seen scams using AI-generated voices of family members, calling relatives to claim they\u2019ve been injured, kidnapped or worse, to extort money. This is also being used to hack into companies by getting employees to provide login information to people they think are their IT department or boss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is where employee awareness training comes in, as well as controls such as MFA (multi-factor authentication), come into play. One of the things we do here at Limbtec is Carry out regular Training, and simulated attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.Increased Risk Of Remote Workers:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The expansion of remote work is a trend that is not going away; and with that comes an exponentially greater risk for cyber threats. From laptops being carried around and connected to suspicious Wi-Fi to mobile phones providing a \u201ckey\u201d to logging into critical applications (like your bank account, Microsoft 365, line-of-business and credit card applications), these devices pose a high risk for being easily lost or stolen. Further, when people use their own devices or work remote, they tend to mix business and personal activities on the same device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That employee who frequents gambling or porn sites may be using the same device used to login to company e-mail or critical applications. Even logging into personal social media sites that get hacked can provide a gateway for a hacker to get to YOUR company\u2019s information through a user\u2019s (employee\u2019s) personal accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.Escalation Of Ransomware Attacks:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are an estimated 1.7 million ransomware attacks every day, which means every second 19 people are hacked worldwide. If you\u2019ve been lucky enough to avoid this, know that someone else is getting hacked on a very<\/em> frequent basis, and you are very likely to be hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, ransomware attacks increased by 37% with the average ransom payment exceeding $100,000, with an average demand of $5.3 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, not all ransom attacks are successful. Businesses are getting much smarter about cyber protections and have been able to put in place protections that prevent hackers from successfully extorting their victims. One of the ways we protect our clients from ransomware is BY using advanced protection measures to help prevent the attack in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4.IoT Attacks:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

IoT, or \u201cInternet of Things,\u201d is a term to describe the proliferation of Internet-connected devices. Today, even kitchen appliances, like a refrigerator, can be connected to the Internet to tell you when it\u2019s time to change the water filter to alerting you if there\u2019s a power outage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means hackers have a FAR greater number of access points into your world. If there are 100+ more doors to walk through in a house, you have a much greater security risk than if there are only five. That\u2019s why IoT attacks present such a problem for us, and a huge opportunity for the hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many people know they should lock their PC, they might not be as meticulous in locking down their fridge or their dog\u2019s tracking collar, but those could all provide access to you, your devices, e-mail, credit card and personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n