As we head into 2014, we’ve asked some of our cyber security experts what they believe will the biggest cyber-security trends heading into 2014 and what will have the biggest impact on IT Security. You can see some of the other predictions by checking out Part 1 & Part 2 of our 2014 predictions. Today’s thoughts are from cyber security researcher Avishag Daniely.
- Cyber-Crime-as-a-Service: The proliferation of hacking tools, combined with the preponderance of backdoors easily found on the internet like default passwords, will commoditize the hacking market. Much like the black market that exists for hackers, or Silk Road (a drug marketplace), a black market will arise that enables anyone to hire and afford a hacker. The commoditization of hacking will drive an increase in attacks.
- Buying Access: As the hacker black market matures and the data necessary for advanced, attacks becomes easier to come by (including pilfered user credentials at target companies), targeted attacks will become much more frequent.
- Scoping SMBs: While we’ll continue to see the spectacular attacks at major corporations, these attacks will be primarily driven by state intelligence apparatuses and corporate espionage. However, 2014 will be marked with a sharp rise in attacks targeting SMBs. Cyber criminals will increasingly target bank accounts that have a value of between $70,000 – $150,000. This is a sweet spot for these criminals – as the businesses typically have poor security postures and do not have the resources to proactively respond to such attacks.
