Keep Your Info Safe: Now Is the Time to Know Emerging Cyber Threats

Because of the ever-expanding spread of digital technologies across the world, authorities must hasten the modernization of law enforcement agencies in addition to building an integrated cybercrime management infrastructure. New cyber threats are constantly arising, and we need to be prepared to face them. Here is a list of potential threats we need to be watchful of.

Jackpotting

The so-called Jackpotting method is the most refined form of exploiting ATMs. Jackpotting is a relatively new threat that has been gaining a lot of traction. This attack involves infecting an ATM with malware in order to steal money from it.

Earlier, less-sophisticated versions of this attack needed physical contact to transmit the malware to the ATM on a USB through an interface portal. However, hacker infiltration tactics have become more and more advanced, which means less involvement on the part of the hacker.

Crypto-jacking

Last year we saw a sharp increase in crypto-jacking, a type of attack that leverages malware to targeted computers with software that hijacks the machine's resources and programs them to mine cryptocurrencies.

Now it looks like this type of attack might increase yet again, as attackers try to breach cloud administrator accounts using vulnerabilities in the system, by phishing for administrator login credentials. The attackers will attempt to use these accounts by running mining software to mine cryptocurrency. If they do their job well, they might remain undetected for a long time.

Cybercriminals exploiting AI

Great strides have been made in the field of AI research, and unfortunately, hackers are quick to exploit this. With advanced AI, malware attackers are capable of infecting entire organizations' systems.

This advanced AI malware can remain undiscovered and transmit inside the network information about the target back to the hackers.

Beware of form jacking

Form jacking is the utilization of malicious JavaScript codes to steal credit card information and other sensitive data from payment forms on the web pages of e-commerce websites or payment sections.

Form jacking has increased significantly in the last year. Nearly 50,000 retailer websites were compromised in 2018 by a hacker group called Magecart. They inserted malicious code into the victims' websites to steal payment card information of thousands of customers.

Ransom hacks

A new style of cyber attack labeled a ransom hack has been seen in the wild.

While a normal ransomware attack would hold the victim's data hostage until the ransom is paid a ransom hack will keep the data even if the ransom is paid.

Attacking the average people

Most of the hacks around the globe are done to fool naive people by exploiting their lack of awareness and anemic security while using ICT systems.

In most cases the result is a basic data breach, in the future this may jeopardize lives due to our growing reliance on technology and the digitization of our world.