The digital world has successfully integrated with the real world and become an integral part of our daily lives. The conveniences that are made possible by digital technological advances are abundant and have made the lives of the global population much more comfortable. However, the digital plane, while allowing us many comforts and luxuries, has also made us vulnerable to many dangers. The digital plane is a functional reality in its own rights. Similar to how in the real world, we are always susceptible to the dangers of theft, mugging, and scams. The digital world also has its dangers of data theft and cyber-attacks. The problem with having fully transitioned onto the digital plane is that now all of a person’s personal and private information is available on this plane which is susceptible to theft attempts.
With the progress in technology, hacking and cyber-attack techniques have also progressed. Cybersecurity concerns are highest now than they have ever been. Businesses that provide cyber security solutions in Los Angeles have deduced that in the year 2021, there were close to 714 million recorded cyber assaults that took place. This is a 134 percent increase from the number observed in 2020. Hackers and criminals are finding innovative ways to gain access to private networks and deal serious damage to companies and individuals alike. There were many new breeds of cyber security attacks that took place this year. Some of the more notable ones are as follows:
1. Spider-man related downloads that contained Crypto-malware
It was recently discovered that there is a new type of malware that infiltrated people systems under the disguise of the new Spider-man film. It was discovered during a routine check-up of the databases. This film was seen as a shining opportunity for all hackers to gain access to a wide majority of systems. As ransomware usually relies on the shape of a hyperlink to gain access to a target’s system, this was the perfect chance for all people with bad intentions.
The point of this malevolent attempt was to gain access to a system to mine a specific type of cryptocurrency without it ever being noticed by the owner. The cryptocurrency mined is called Monero, a kind of untraceable crypto often used for transactions on the dark web. The user will only experience a substantial drop in performance and outrageous power consumption.
2. The macOS bug that allowed security bypass
Although now successfully fixed and patched, a recent OS update rendered its users virtually defenseless to cyber-attacks. The bug allowed hackers to bypass the macOS security features and execute any code.
The bug entailed that malicious software could bypass the Gatekeeper checks, which allowed only trusted software to be downloaded and installed.
It was further explained by businesses that provide cyber security solutions in Los Angeles that this technique involved the disguising of harmful software as common software updates. Another way used by hackers was through a process known as search poisoning, where hackers artificially SEO the rankings of websites that host their malware to have more users come to them.
3. Ubisoft Data breach
Ubisoft had reported a data breach when they discovered a comprehensive cyber-attack on its famous game series, ‘Just dance.’ It is exampled in an annual gathering by businesses that provide cyber security solutions in Los Angeles that malevolent experts took advantage of a mis-configuration in the game to steal data which included customer information.
Malevolent forces are progressing fast, and it is a definitive need for cyber security forces always to be one step ahead.
