As big data gets even bigger, and attacks become increasingly sophisticated and high profile, the jury is out on what will be dominating the cyber security landscape in 2016. Here are just a few predictions from ITC Secure as to what to look out for in the coming year.
Ransomware
Ransomware has already taken centre stage this year and does not appear to be relenting anytime soon. With more anonymised networks and payment systems, we can expect to see less experienced cyber criminals leveraging ransomware-as-a-service and magnifying its growth. Remediation is also likely to become more difficult as attackers encrypt files before they are backed up.
The Security of Wearables
As the Internet of Things comes into its own, so will all the risks it carries. Wearable smart devices are taking us down new roads of mobile technology and as yet are not as secure as more developed devices. It is estimated that there will be around 780 million wearable devices by 2019.
Yet they are loaded with personal data and serve as a potential backdoor into things like smartphones, making them prime targets for cybercriminals. Spear-phishing attacks in particular are likely to result as a consequence of compromised control apps.
Critical Infrastructure Attacks
Until recently, critical infrastructure systems have only really been vulnerable to low-incident attacks. But with more components now being connected to the Internet, it is highly probable that we will start to witness more high-impact events taking place.
Trends within these attacks include things like cyber criminals selling direct access to critical infrastructure systems and nation-state actions with the purpose of gathering information or disrupting services.
Politics Will Play a Greater Role
It cannot be denied that cyber security and state security are increasingly linked. Governments are working hard to come up with new ways to protect themselves and their countries from the potentially devastating effects of cyber crime and security breaches. 2016 will be a year that puts politics in the spotlight – challenging the authorities to better understand and regulate the cyber sphere whilst upholding civil liberties such as freedom of information and a right to privacy.
It is predicted that legal reform will take place and the matters of cyber security will become subjects for regular discussion in Parliament.
