IT security specialists Kaspersky Lab have predicted 2013 will see a continued rise in targeted attacks, cyber-espionage and nation-state attacks as well as an evolving role of hacktavism and the development of controversial “legal” surveillance tools.
They also said they expected to see an increase in cybercriminal attacks targeting cloud-based services.
HumanIPO reported on Wednesday that Africa was experiencing the fastest rise in cybercrime.
Costin Raiu, Director of Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab, said: “In our previous reports we categorised 2011 as the year of explosive growth of new cyber threats. The most notable incidents of 2012 have been revealing and shaping the future of cyber security.
“We expect the next year to be packed with high-profile attacks on consumers, businesses and governments alike, and to see the first signs of notable attacks against the critical industrial infrastructure.The most notable trends of 2013 will be new examples of cyber warfare operations, increasing targeted attacks on businesses and new, sophisticated mobile threats.”
According to Kaspersky, one of the main forecasts for 2013 is that of targeted attacks on businesses.
It is expected the amount of targeted attacks, with the purpose of cyber-espionage, will increase and become the most significant threat for businesses.
Another trend that will likely impact companies and governments is the continued rise of “hacktivism” and its concomitant politically-motivated cyber-attacks.
HumanIPO previously reported on how hacktivism is being used on the continent and specifically in Nigeria as a method to fight against the scourge of alleged government corruption.
Following on from hacktivism is state-sponsored cyber warfare, which Kaspersky predicts will undoubtedly increase.
Quick Facts:
Important cyber security stories of 2012:
Sophisticated malware targetingMac OS X
Explosive growth of Android threats
FlameandGaussas the sign of continued state-sponsored cyber warfareoperations
Notable password leaks from popular web services, such as LinkedIn and Dropbox
Theft of Adobe certificates
New 0-day vulnerabilities in Java and other popular software
Attacks on network devices (namelyDSL routers)
DNSChangershutdown
DestructiveShamoonand Wiper malwares
Madicyber-espionage campaign
Predictions for 2013:
Continued rise of targeted attacks
Ongoing march of “hacktivism”
More nation-state sponsored cyber-attacks
Government-backed use of “legal” surveillance tools in cyberspace
Attacks on cloud-based infrastructure
Deterioration of digital privacy
Continued problems with online trust and digital authorities
Continued rise of Mac OS X malware and mobile malware
Vulnerabilities and exploits continue to be key attack methods for cybercriminals
Wide deployment of Ransomware and cryptoextortion malware
