Our lives have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic which has revolutionized the way we live, work and socialize. Work from home (WFH) has become the new norm and digital threats including ransomware and fileless malware will increase further in 2021, predicts cybersecurity company ESET.
Cyber Security Trends 2021: Staying Safe During Uncertain Times explores predictions from experts at the global cybersecurity society, revealing the top challenges that are expected to impact consumers and businesses in 2021.
The report ‘Cybersecurity Trends 2021: Staying secure in uncertain times’ includes predictions from ESET experts and reveals the top challenges expected to impact consumers and businesses in 2021.
Trend # 1: The Future of Work – Embrace a New Reality
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in the massive implementation of remote working, which saw a greater reliance on technology than ever before. This relocation of the office brought benefits to employees, but it also made corporate networks vulnerable to attack.
Jake Moore, ESET Security Specialist, said: “We have all learned that working remotely can benefit organizations; however, I don’t think we will continue to work remotely five days a week. “
“More and more employees around the world will migrate naturally and effortlessly to what works for them and their businesses. As more and more of our professional and family lives go digital, cybersecurity will remain the backbone of business security.
“Cyber attacks are a persistent threat to organizations, and businesses must build resilient IT teams and systems to avoid the financial and reputational consequences of such an attack,” said Moore.
Trend # 2: Ransomware with a twist – Pay or your data gets leaked
With ransomware attackers seeking greater leverage to coerce victims into paying, as well as increasing ransom demands, the stakes are rising for victims. Exfiltration and extortion may not be new techniques, but they are certainly growing trends.
Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist at ESET, said: “Organizations are getting smarter, deploying technologies that thwart attacks, and create resilient backup and restore processes, so bad actors need help. ‘a’ Plan B ‘to be able to monetize their efforts and strengthen their resilience. attack, rather than depending on a single form of threat. “
“Thwarted attacks or diligent backup and restore processes may no longer be enough to fend off a committed cybercriminal who demands the payment of a ransom. The success of monetization due to a change in technique offers cybercriminals an increased chance of return on investment. This is a trend that unfortunately I’m sure we will see more of in 2021, ”said Anscombe.
Trend # 3: Beyond prevention – tracking the evolving quicksand of cyber threats
In recent years, cybercrime groups have turned to using increasingly complex techniques to deploy highly targeted attacks. Some time ago, the security community started talking about “fileless malware” attacks, which overlap with the operating system’s own tools and processes and exploit them for malicious purposes.
These techniques have gained popularity recently, having been used in various cyber espionage campaigns and by various malicious actors, mainly to reach high profile targets such as government entities.
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Senior Security Researcher at ESET, said: “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 highlights the need for security teams to develop processes using tools and technologies that not only prevent malicious code from compromising computer systems, but also have detection and response capabilities – even before that these attacks do not achieve their mission, ”noted Amaya.
Trend # 4: Bad Vibes – Security Flaws in Smart Sex Toys
With new models of smart toys for adults constantly entering the market, research has shown that we are a long way from being able to use smart sex toys without putting ourselves at risk of a cyber attack. Today, these results are more relevant than ever, as we are seeing a rapid increase in sex toy sales due to a global health crisis and social distancing measures linked to COVID-19.
Cecilia Pastorino, ESET Security researcher, commented: “The era of smart sex toys has only just begun. The latest industry advancements include models with virtual reality (virtual reality) capabilities and AI-powered sex robots that include cameras, microphones and voice analysis capabilities based on artificial intelligence techniques.
“As has been proven time and time again, secure development and public awareness will be essential to ensure the protection of sensitive data, as we empower users to become smart consumers capable of demanding best practices from customers. providers in order to maintain control of their digital privacy for years to come, ”Pastorino concluded.
More information on the trends that will impact the world in 2021can be found in the full report from ESET.