It's been almost a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which upended the way we live, work and communicate and therefore in 2021 we are likely to see an increase in some threats in the field of cyber securitys.
According to ESET's latest Cybersecurity Trends 2021 report, these are the four key challenges expected to impact consumers and businesses the 2021.
Trend # 1: The future of work - acceptance of the new reality
The advent of the pandemic COVID-19 led to the mass adoption of the remote work model, creating greater dependence on technology.
The removal from office brought benefits to employees, but left corporate networks vulnerable to attack.
Jake Moore, ESET Security Specialist, commented:
"We have all learned that remote work can benefit companies. However, I do not think we will continue to work remotely five days a week. Most employees around the world will naturally and effortlessly go into what works for them and their businesses. As work and everyday life become more and more digital, cybersecurity will remain the core of business security. "Cyber-attacks are a constant threat to organizations, and businesses need to set up special teams and IT systems to avoid the financial and reputational consequences of such an attack."
Trend # 2: The security gaps in smart sex toys
In the last year, due to the pandemic and the social distance measures related to COVID-19, there has been a rapid growth in sales of sex toys. But ESET research has shown that we are far from being able to use new smart sex toys without exposing ourselves to the risk of a cyber attack.
Cecilia Pastorino, ESET Security Researcher, commented:
“Η εποχή των έξυπνων sex toys μόλις τώρα ξεκινά. Οι τελευταίες εξελίξεις στον κλάδο περιλαμβάνουν μοντέλα με δυνατότητες εικονικής πραγματικότητας (VR) και ρομπότ του σεξ με τεχνολογία AI που περιλαμβάνουν κάμερες, μικρόφωνα και δυνατότητες ανάλυσης φωνής που βασίζονται σε τεχνητή intelligence. As has been proven time and time again, secure information and public awareness will be key to ensuring sensitive data is protected while empowering users to become smart consumers who are able to demand better practices from suppliers in order to maintain control of their personal moments for years to come. "
Trend # 3: Ransomware (Ransom = ransom) with a slight difference – pay up or your data will be leaked
With press attacks ransomware the criminals seek to blackmail the victims into forcing them to pay a ransom. Theft of victim data and subsequent blackmail may not be new techniques, but they are certainly on the rise.
Tony Anscombe, ESET Chief Security Evangelist, commented:
“Companies are getting smarter, developing technologies that prevent attacks and implementing backup and recovery processes, so cybercriminals now need a 'Plan B' to increase their chances of success. Thus, attack countermeasures or backup procedures may no longer be enough to deter a determined cybercriminal who demands the payment of a ransom. By changing their attack technique, cybercriminals increase their chances of success. Unfortunately, I'm sure we'll see an increase in this trend in 2021.”
Trend # 4: Deterrence is no longer enough - The quicksand of new cyber threats
In recent years, cybercrime groups have turned to increasingly sophisticated techniques. "Some time ago, the security community started talking about attacks."fileless malware“. These are attacks that activate the tools and processes of the operating system and exploit them for malicious purposes.
Recently, these techniques have been used in various cyber espionage campaigns and by various malicious criminals, mainly in high-level target attacks, such as government agencies.
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Senior Security Researcher at ESET, noted:
"Fileless threats are evolving rapidly and it is expected that in 2021 these methods will be used in increasingly complex and large-scale attacks. This means that security teams in organizations and businesses need to develop processes for utilizing tools and technologies that not only prevent malicious code from compromising computer systems, but also have the ability to detect and respond - even before these attacks are complete. their mission. ”
For more information on the trends that will affect the world in 2021, you can read the full report on ESET's Cybersecurity Trends 2021 (PDF).
