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Five emerging cyber-threats to worry about in 2019

Abstract: 
The article goes through the five emerging cyber threats that are most likely to create problems in 2019 -including a continuation of ransomware attacks and data breaches. 2018 was filled with cybersecurity threats from flaws in microchips, hacked emails and private networks, data breaches, malicious software, and ransomware attacks. Though we must continue working on threats to web-connected consumer devices and critical infrastructures such as electrical grids and transport systems, this article outlines the new emerging technologies we should also be on the lookout for. In 2019, the main cyber-threats are due to the exploitation of AI to alter videos and sounds, being able to mirror anyone and anything they might say. They could also exploit weaknesses in AI defenses used to counter cyber attacks. Smart contracts stored on a blockchain will also be prone to attacks as it becomes more popular, especially with the rise of cryptocurrency. This is an effective way to steal millions of dollars in an undetectable and untraceable fashion. The article also mentions that quantum computers could also crack encryption that helps protect everything. Quantum computers are still “young” and not commonly bought but US experts warn companies to start working on encryption algorithms that can withstand their attack. Finally, the biggest threat probably comes from attacking the cloud. Hundreds of businesses are heavily investing and using the cloud to store data on their servers and manage information remotely -which makes it very tempting to hackers. However, many big cloud companies such as Amazon and Google are heavily investing in cybersecurity to prevent this.
Author: 
Martin Giles
Institution: 
MIT Technology Review
Year: 
2019
Domains-Issue Area: 
Industry Focus: 
Internet & Cyberspace
Country: 
United States of America
Datatype(s): 
Indicators
Organizations