INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The age of cyber warfare is upon us, and the threat of cybercrime to businesses continues to multiply by the day
Simply having cloud antivirus is no longer enough
The imperative to defend is stronger than ever
But what are the likely implications for 2020, and what new cards do cybercriminals hold in their deck? About the authorMarcus Fowler is
the Director of Strategic Threat at Darktrace.Expansion of ransomwareAs we approach the end of 2019, the hacker favourite is far from dead
– and we’re definitely yet to see its heyday
The ransomware landscape in 2019 has remained fearsomely lively, with hackers continuing to see value in using both targeted and
spray-and-pray approaches to attack enterprises, public bodies and governments
Ransomware attackers are no longer going after only large organizations, today’s attacks are more about the size of your vulnerability,
This has been an issue of high concern for institutions such as the FBI, who have issued warnings that ransomware presents an urgent and
high-impact threat to US businesses and organizations. The 2020 landscape looks similarly eerie
We should expect to see the resurrection of old ransomware with new twists, widening the threat landscape in innovative ways – ensuring
that ransomware remains alive and well
Crucially, these threats are never-before-seen, meaning that traditional, rules and signature-based approaches to endpoint security won’t
Hackers do not miss a trick; as our businesses, organizations and infrastructures continue to grow in scale and complexity, ransomware will
also continue to scale up and shape-shift.Implications of cyber-physicalAs ransomware takes on a new character, it is likely to threaten
industrial processes and business applications rather than data
Unfortunately, this makes data back-up irrelevant as safety net for what lies ahead.Complex cyber-physical systems will continue to present
tough security challenges that must be met in innovative ways
As smart buildings, smart cities, smart homes, and the internet of things become an exciting reality, vulnerabilities continue to grow,
making almost everything fair game for hackers – who, as we know, are endlessly creative
This development bonds cyber-security with physical and operational security inextricably – by 2020, approaches that are not holistic will
be obsolete.Governments should expect an increased terrorist interest in taking advantage of cyber-physical vulnerabilities and
cyber-for-hire as an attack mechanism
Where terrorists might lack the technical skills to hack, cyber-physical systems and pay-for-play hackers could make it more appealing to
Ransomware attacks on state and local government IT service management systems have multiplied year-on-year, and 2020 will be no
exception. Perhaps most alarmingly, 2020 is likely to hold cyber-based nation-state proxy wars
Cyber warfare between nation-states is nothing new; we have seen cyber-attacks used throughout 2019 as an acceptable act short of war
This will continue, yet the line between what is an acceptable response and what is a direct act of war will become increasingly blurred,
making this international relations development all-the-more concerning. The very nature of warfare has fundamentally changed, and in 2020,
nation-state cyber-attacks will continue to transcend traditional understandings of inter-state relations and the actors involved in proxy
This threatens representative democracy in more ways than one; we can expect that cyber-attacks are going to play a considerable role in
attempts to disrupt or discredit the 2020 election. AI/ML moving to hackersphereIf we haven’t seen it before we celebrate the arrival of
the new year, 2020 undoubtedly holds the first AI-powered cyberattack
The building blocks are well in place
Advanced malware that adapts its behaviour to remain undetected has long been on the rise, and should it reach its full potential, 2020
could see a true cyber arms race. The fifth generation of cellular networks, 5G, will only facilitate the rise of machine-speed and
At wireless connection speeds up to 100 times faster than 4G, malware could download and spread throughout a victim’s network long before
they realize that anything is amiss on their smartphone.As ever, this presents new security challenges
If we fail to challenge traditional cybersecurity standards, the arrival of 5G will render supply chains exponentially riskier
With supply chain attacks already constituting one of the major risks confronting the modern enterprise, security considerations must not be
cast aside in the race to market for the 5G-powered internet of things. As hackers continue to innovate, the winners of 2020 will be those
who match the pace of innovation
AI for cyber defence presents the most promising defence weaponry in the arms race, as it is the only force capable of combatting offensive
AI and other yet-unseen attacks
In the intense geopolitical heat of the present moment, we must look ahead and prepare for battle. Marcus Fowler is the Director of
Strategic Threat at Darktrace.
