It’s no secret that hackers are always looking for sensitive data to compromise. In fact, the cybercrime industry is projected to be worth over $6 trillion by the end of this year.
Fortunately, having a rough idea of the security threats you should watch out for can go a long way when it comes to improving the safety of your data.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about the cybersecurity threats you need to keep in mind.
1. Ransomware
As the name suggests, ransomware aims to compromise important information and essentially hold it for ransom. In order for the user to gain access back to their data, they often need to pay a certain amount of money to the hacker (often in the form of cryptocurrency to avoid detection).
Although ransomware isn’t new, we can expect to see attacks like these occur more frequently due to more and more components of society and business becoming integrated with the Internet.
2. AI Poisoning
This concept sounds dramatic, but it unfortunately is. AI poisoning essentially intends to reprogram software so that it begins to learn the wrong set of actions and eventually exhibit the wrong type of behavior.
In particularly sophisticated scenarios, AI poisoning can result in software intentionally concealing the unfavorable activity that it conducts.
A likely example could involve AI that’s meant to collect behavioral data on consumers for a small business being reprogrammed by a hacker to provide the criminal with those customers’ financial information instead.
3. False Social Media Accounts
As with ransomware, fake social media accounts or it’s a particularly new innovation. But, hackers who use them in 2020 won’t exactly be aiming to participate in rudimentary scams as they have in the past.
Instead, it’s highly likely that spoof accounts will be used to disseminate misinformation across all social media. This is projected to be exceptionally prevalent when it comes to political campaigns.
But, false accounts could even be used to damage the reputation of local businesses in a potentially irreparable way.
4. ‘Zero-Day’ Attacks
This term refers to the practice of hackers searching for exploits within hardware or software.
Once they are able to discover them, they can then take full advantage until developers are able to issue a security patch. In extreme scenarios, individuals may have to discontinue the use of certain hardware.
More than ever before, cybercriminals will be searching for exploits that they can use to carry out these zero-day attacks, something that makes working with a managed security service provider essential when it comes to keeping your personal and business data protected.
Navigating These Cybersecurity Threats Can Seem Difficult
But it doesn’t have to be.
With the above information about in mind about the cybersecurity threats you should watch out for in 2021, you’ll be able to keep your business as safe as possible.
