Cybersecurity threats trends for the EU to look out for 2021
As cyberattacks rise and people’s lives have moved online this year, experts weight in what governments should prepare for in 2021
The risks of AI-based attacks
As AI becomes more present, the world of cybercrime and cyberwar also becomes smarter in the use of these tools. AI could theoretically improve the effectiveness of the attacks by learning how to respond to the defense systems in real-time.
We have already seen how AI can be used for the transmission of misinformation campaigns and the exponential threat of deep fakes, as the technology that makes it possible continues to improve. However, AI can also be used for defense, as it might be able to respond faster than humans to an attack.
“Like electricity in the past, AI is transforming the world. […]The coordinated action plan will ensure that Europe reaps the benefits of AI for citizens and businesses and competes globally, while safeguarding trust and respecting ethical values.” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society.
Ransomware on the rise
As if everything that has flooded the world in 2020 wasn’t enough, as people, companies, and governments moved their operations online, ransomware attacks rose. Not just at regular folks, but at international organizations all over the world.
Companies and organizations are allowing many of its employees to connect remotely to their systems and internal resources. This could make them more susceptible to attacks, and unpatched systems that are more vulnerable could become a target for cybercrime.
The Internet of Things
Now we can turn our lights with a voice command, we can see how many steps we need to walk that day and what our blood pressure was when we slept. The demand for IoT has increased in offices, among healthcare services, and with the implementation of 5G, the world will be more dependent on the technology.
Common ransomware will block your device, and IoT ransomware will gain control and force it to work in the way it wants. In a medical device, it could, for example, manipulate the level of medicine in an insulin pump, and the user will need to pay the ransom.
