Many people believe they are safe from cyberattacks because criminal masterminds have valuable targets on their radar. Reality paints a different picture.
Cyber criminals do not discriminate – they target corporations, small businesses and individuals. They keep reinventing their techniques, even for low-level attacks, as people become increasingly aware of veteran scams.
While that doesn’t mean their old tricks aren’t working anymore, more creative scams and hacks are taking center stage. Here are the most dangerous cybersecurity threats to expect in 2023.
Cybercrime as a Service (CaaS)
Cybercrime as a Service is a criminal business model that expert cybercriminals use to sell tools and services to novices in the field. This includes black hat hackers, malware and ransomware developers, and other criminals intent on accessing internet-enabled devices and networks with malicious intent.
Not only do they offer stolen credentials, but they also develop sophisticated malware that anyone can use to perform cyberattacks, even if they are not tech savvy. The dark web is full of these end-to-end services that customers pay for in crypto. One of the popular CaaS is ransomware-as-a-service, which means anyone can buy a ransomware virus.
Multi vector cyber attacks
Multi-vector cyberattacks use multiple entry points to infiltrate networks. These are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on steroids.
They use multiple threat vectors instead of the traditional one, making it impossible to combat them all. Once you’ve dealt with one, they start another.
Multiple threat vectors allow cybercriminals to orchestrate double and triple ransomware attacks when launching ransomware. They can threaten data leaks instead of just encrypting and filtering out sensitive information.
Combining this threat with CaaS makes both even more terrifying.
Social Development
Social engineering attacks continue to increase, with cybercriminals developing more sophisticated tricks to fool people through psychological manipulation.
They use emotions to trick their victims into spending money on fake websites or revealing sensitive information. They create a sense of urgency, incite fear, or increase the excitement of their unsuspecting victims to invest in a bogus investment.
This human hacking can take many forms, including spear phishing, honeytraps, pretexting, tailgating, decoys, and scareware.
Fraud in pig slaughter
Pig slaughter scams lure victims into investing in a bogus crypto venture with false promises of high revenue before being scammed out of their money.
Scammers using these decoy systems contact their targets through text messages, IM apps, social media, and dating apps and pretend to know them. They use social engineering to build trust for weeks or months, discussing various topics before casually touching on crypto investments and sharing links to their bogus sites.
Once someone takes the bait, scammers make them win big to encourage more investment. After a while they steal all the money, hence the term “pig slaughter” for fattening a pig before slaughter.
BEC (Business Email Compromise) attacks.
BEC attacks are spear phishing attacks. This includes cybercriminals who pose as someone their targets know to obtain personal or confidential information such as usernames and passwords. However, they focus on spoofing instead of sending malicious links in emails to steal data or get sizable payouts.
They introduce themselves as someone from their targets’ workplace and trick them into urgently transferring money to their accounts. They typically pose as mid-level employees and often use payroll scams to cheat victims out of their money.
IoT devices as hacking targets
Internet of Things (IoT) devices have been popular targets for attacks for years. However, we will no doubt see more attacks in 2023, as experts predict there will be 43 billion IoT devices that year.
The more connected devices we use, from smart watches, speakers and locks to security cameras and autonomous cars, the more we simplify hackers’ malicious campaigns.
How can we deal with this problem? We won’t give up the convenience of real-time connectivity between devices. However, we cannot rely on their security protocols, as history has taught us that they are not impregnable.
How can we protect our IoT devices, identities and sensitive information? Here are some invaluable tips.
How can you protect yourself from these cybersecurity threats?
The most valuable tip to protect against cybersecurity threats is not to trust anyone online. Triple check email addresses and domains, and don’t click on suspicious links—someone could fool you with impersonation and other social engineering scams. Therefore, only report people to official representatives and don’t forget about secure file sharing options.
However, one cannot live in fear. You can’t constantly worry that someone will pose as your friend, colleague, or family member to scam you out of your money. You can’t give up your devices and start living like a recluse. You can strengthen your passwords and change them regularly, but you still need other solutions.
Enter VPNs (Virtual Private Networks). A VPN encrypts your internet connection and creates a private tunnel around the public network to make you invisible to potential hackers. No matter how many devices you connect to the Internet, it protects their systems and your data. So you can get a VPN for PC that also works on smartphones and TVs at the same time.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity threats will continue to increase in 2023 and beyond. Cyber criminals will constantly innovate their tactics and tools to launch sophisticated campaigns.
However, we are no longer in the dark about their tricks. It’s easier than ever to fend them off and protect our data and identities, so don’t stop there. Delve deeper into other threats to become a savvy cyber citizen, always alert to potential attacks.
Filed under: Technology News
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