Tops IT Threats for 2016

Top Cyber-Security Threats for Small/Medium Businesses in 2016

Eventhough 2016 is half way over, here are the top threats facing small/medium sized businesses currently:

1. Machine-to-machine attacks
    By 2020 for every human being on the planet, there will be between two and three connected devices (based on current U.N. population projections). Most consumer-connected devices do not prioritize security and as their numbers increase, we can expect m2m attacks to skyrocket.

Smartphones present the biggest risk, as they are exceptionally attractive to cybercriminals due to the sheer number in use, and multiple vectors of attack, including malicious apps and web browsing.
 Drive-by attacks — websites that fingerprint a phone when it connects in order to understand what that phone is vulnerable to are on the rise.

1. Jailbreaking the cloud

The cloud is the key to utilizing the unprecedented amounts of data and information available now. This year, and in the future, hackers will turn their attention to cloud infrastructure, and there will be malware specifically built to crack these cloud-based systems.

We are becoming more and more reliant on cloud-based storage, which in turn makes these kinds of attacks even more fruitful for cybercriminals. At the same time, because apps rely on the cloud, mobile devices running compromised apps will provide a way for hackers to remotely attack public and private clouds and access corporate networks.

1. Headless worms
    A new year means new worms and viruses. Specialists in cyber-security are predicting that 2016 will see the first “headless worms” — malicious code which targets devices such as smartwatches, smartphones and medical hardware.
    With the rise of ‘The Internet of Things’, the potential for harm from such threats can multiply across billions of connected devices all over the world.
2. Ghostware
    Hackers and law enforcement are doing a two-step. Law enforcement boosts its forensic capabilities, and hackers adapt to evade detection or capture. Ghostware — malware designed to penetrate networks, steal information, then conceal the hack is likely to emerge in 2016. This technology will hinder not only companies efforts to track how much data has been stolen, but the ability of law enforcement to locate and prosecute cybercriminals.

So what can businesses do?

The continued proliferation of ‘smart’ devices and, the evolution of cloud and mobile technologies only increases the importance of security.

Part of any cyber-security strategy should be the use of antivirus software, the education of employees not to click on unknown attachments or links as well as keeping software up to date, also know as patch management.