How cyberattacks evolve and how to prevent them

Technology is evolving at a stunning pace, and for most people it's nearly impossible to keep up with the trend. Most of it tries to make our lives easier — but some of it tries to do precisely the opposite.

Technology is evolving at a stunning pace, and for most people it's nearly impossible to keep up with the trend. Most of it tries to make our lives easier — but some of it tries to do precisely the opposite. In this article we'll look at several emerging types of attacks and how to prevent them.

Data poisoning

The name is slightly misleading, so let me clarify. Data poisoning means feeding malicious data into AI training algorithms. The answers and outputs from that AI will be heavily skewed, so it's very important to verify all AI outputs and correct them where needed.

The 5G problem

The shift to 5G also brings several unexpected problems. Securing these networks is being heavily neglected. Many modern IoT devices depend on 5G, so it's extremely important to keep your Wi-Fi network as well secured as possible, run a strong, quality firewall, and set a strong unique password.

Evolved ransomware

Ransomware attacks have evolved beyond just encrypting data. They've turned into a so-called double-extortion tactic. The attacker first steals sensitive data, then encrypts it. If you refuse to pay, they not only fail to decrypt — they also sell the data on the black market. The best defence against this kind of attack is:

·         Backup

·         Proactive defence

·         Employee training

Biometric security flaws

The main flaw with biometric security — like fingerprints or face recognition — isn't accuracy; it's that it's still backstopped by a password. Plus, if someone takes over an account secured this way, they get access to your biometric data, which (unlike a password) can't be changed. To prevent these attacks, use unique passwords on every account and turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.

And in closing

As usual, the most effective attack method is phishing. It's keeping up with the times too. The newest phishing campaigns directly target companies and individuals within them. These attacks are surprisingly persuasive, and even people who've been trained on phishing fall for them. So always read everything twice, and if you're unsure about an email or a phone call, prefer to check with an IT specialist.