Mindboggling Ways Cyber Criminals Are Getting Smarter

Cybercrime has tremendously evolved in a matter of just a few years. As the world continues to leverage modern technology and its advanced applications, our systems are becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Cybercrime has tremendously evolved in a matter of just a few years. As the world continues to leverage modern technology and its advanced applications, our systems are becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks. The digital landscape that strives to reduce barriers and connect the entire world in an efficient and seamless manner, does shy away when it comes to cybersecurity threats. In recent history, cyberattacks have compromised security on the scale of domestic users to mammoth corporations and governmental agencies.

Today, cybercriminals have moved on from the conventional methods and resources to smarter strategies that are aimed at causing greater damage in an anonymous and disruptive way. For organizations, the best remedy is to anticipate possible threats and develop insights into it. Herein, CYFIRMA serves as an example of a popular cybersecurity company that allows companies to gain crucial knowledge of potential cyberattacks, while also comprehensively identifying the perpetrators behind the same. CYFIRMA utilizes their AI and machine learning powered insights platform to gain intelligence, assess the origin of the attack, its primary objective, and method of application. Information such as this is invaluable, from an organization’s perspective, to work on an effective plan to fight any and all potential cyber threats. Predictive intelligence, as perfected by cybersecurity firms like CYFIRMA, help organizations restructure their systems to protect against exploitable loopholes and evolving malicious cyber tools.

Cybersecurity experts are committed to reading the aforementioned patterns and footprints of these criminal activities, anticipate their moves, and work on a plan to overturn the potential risks. However, cybercriminals continue to be disruptive, and as of recent reports, they are getting smarter than ever. Here’s how –

Artificial intelligence arms race: AI is a wonderful technology and it continues to transform our lives. However, cybercriminals have also incorporated smart technologies into their attacks, which translates into a greater scope for organizational breakdowns and losses. In order to mitigate these risks, cybersecurity companies are developing tools and strategies integrated with AI technology. It’s an arms race amongst AI systems and there’s no turning back. What’s more disturbing is that AI-based attacks are forced on systems and devices with AI itself, to disrupt their functions and reprogram them for malicious usage.

Internet of Things: Web connectivity is now an added feature in different home appliances and seamlessly connects these disparate devices to a common central intelligence. IoT devices are a hot target for cybercriminals due to their internet bandwidth, as in the case of surveillance cameras. Security cameras are being hacked and controlled by criminals to perform multiple functions as determined by these attackers, including footage on activities that the hackers want more information on.

CaaS: Cybercriminals are exploiting weak systems and security landscapes of different countries and organizations where cybercrime is still a foreign concept. Even if these organizations have incorporated some sort of basic deterrent technology, it is still not capable of tackling attacks that are far superior and advanced in nature. Plus, hackers are now buying services of other cybercriminals- a disturbing trend that is gaining a lot of traction in the hacker communities. Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) allows trade of tools and system between criminals in far-flung places, as in to build a large network or a designated hacking team in order to carry out bigger and more lucrative crimes.

As is demonstrated above, hackers are getting smarter and exploring the farthest reaches of their abilities. Thankfully, their counter- the security defenders- are getting smarter too, and with the assistance of inventive technologies as conceptualized by cybersecurity firms like CYFIRMA, from the example above, these cybercriminals will never be allowed to gain the upper hand.

Researcher and Content Writer at e-Syndicate Network. A constant learner. Learning and growing every day. Salman has over 5 years of experience in the fields of Digital Marketing, Content Writing, Brand and Business Development.