David Rajoo, Director of Systems Engineering, Symantec Malaysia, reveals the Symantec 2018 Cybersecurity Predictions. They will help CIOs and cybersecurity experts prepare for the onslaught of cybersecurity threats in 2018.

 

The Symantec 2018 Cybersecurity Predictions

This past year, cyber criminals caused major service disruptions around the world, using their increasing technical proficiency to break through cyber defenses. In 2018, we expect the trend to become more pronounced as these attackers will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to launch even more potent attacks.

Gear up for a busy year ahead. Incidents like the WannaCry attack, which impacted more than 200,000 computers worldwide in May, are just the warmup to a new year of more virulent malware and DDoS attacks. Meanwhile, cyber criminals are poised to step up their attacks on the millions of devices now connected to the Internet of Things both in offices and homes.

The cybersecurity landscape in 2018 is sure to surprise us in ways that we never imagined. As 2017 draws to a close, here is what you can expect over the course of the upcoming year:

• Blockchain Will Find Uses Outside Of Cryptocurrencies But Cyber criminals Will Focus On Coins and Exchanges
• Cyber criminals Will Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) To Conduct Attacks[adrotate group=”2″]
• Supply Chain Attacks Will Become Mainstream
• File-less and File-light Malware Will Explode
• Organisations Will Still Struggle With Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) Security
• Organisations Will Still Struggle With Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) Security – More Breaches Due to Error, Compromise & Design
• Financial Trojans Will Still Account For More Losses Than Ransomware
• Expensive Home Devices Will Be Held To Ransom
• IoT Devices Will Be Hijacked and Used in DDoS Attacks
• IoT Devices Will Provide Persistent Access to Home Networks

 

The Symantec 2018 Cybersecurity Predictions Part 1/3

Blockchain Will Find Uses Outside Of Cryptocurrencies But Cyber criminals Will Focus On Coins and Exchanges

Blockchain is finally finding applications outside of crypto-currencies, expanding its functions in inter-bank settlements with the help of IoT gaining traction. However, these use cases are still in their infancy stage and are not the focus for most cyber criminals today.

Instead of attacking Blockchain technology itself, cyber criminals will focus on compromising coin-exchanges and users’ coin-wallets since these are the easiest targets, and provide high returns. Victims will also be tricked into installing coin-miners on their computers and mobile devices, handing their CPU and electricity over to cyber criminals.

 

Cyber criminals Will Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) To Conduct Attacks

No cyber security conversation today is complete without a discussion about AI and ML. So far, these conversations have been focused on using these technologies as protection and detection mechanisms. However, this will change in the next year with AI and ML being used by cyber criminals to conduct attacks.

It is the first year where we will see AI versus AI in a cybersecurity context. Cyber criminals will use AI to attack and explore victims’ networks, which is typically the most labour-intensive part of compromise after an incursion.

Next Page > The Symantec 2018 Cybersecurity Predictions Part 2/3

 

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