As more people gain access to the world-wide web, more people are also in danger of the risks brought by cyber security threats. According to a statement released by CommunicAsia 2016 Summit on Friday, 4 billion people or 50 million devices are expected to connect to the internet by 2020.
One of the speakers for CommunicAsia 2016 Summit, and chief security officer/advisor of Microsoft Asia, Pierre Noel, lists three cyber security threats to watch out this year.
Mobile Malware
Mobile malware is expected to breach devices soon since mobile phones are now frequently used to access the internet and mobile payment systems are now popular. Hackers will target mobile phones through infiltrating mobile operating systems by releasing applications that have malware attached to it.
Online Extraction
Ransomware is one of the ways hackers used to extract data on its target. It is a sophisticated method of stealing personal information or controlling remote devices that are connected to the internet. It can encrypt photos and other data to force victims to pay a ransom money in order for their data to come back.
Password Recovery Scam
In this type of scam, a hacker will only need the email address and the phone number of a target to trick him/her to give his account credentials on the said account. It is called SMS phishing that makes use of the password recovery feature to trick victims.
“Companies must evolve from a simple, ‘protect and recover’ model to a more holistic protect, detect and respond posture that utilizes real-time insights and predictive intelligence across networks to stay ahead of threats,” Noel said.