Heavy attacks based on long term intrusion and movements within the information system can lead to harvesting significant proceed. Last year banks suffered a collective loss of 1 billion USD which were stolen by Carbanak cybergang. The dark web now delivers products which enable remote administrators to control machines, according to the website of business school INSEAD. That means hackers are able to illegally take over some of our machines.
Clouds getting darker
Cloud computing today is a widespread way of delivering high quality IT services. There are three types of products: Software-as-a-Service (providing applications that can be easily deployed), Platform-as-a-Service (development tools for IT specialists) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (enables efficient use of hardware). There are similar services for hackers as well. You can obtain ready-to-use software that is able to induce a DDOS-type of attack. Developers can customize malwares to fit their specific needs easily.
Internal threats are here, too
A hurt and disgruntled employee was able to publish intellectual property worth USD 15 million online. Not for profit, but for retribution. It is only recently that such an action didn’t require a high level of technical sophistication. Large firms in sensitive sectors have been able to keep up with recent developments in cyber-crime. Smaller firms and start-ups haven’t. Part of the solution lays in better cooperation with law enforcement. There are also managerial solutions such as out-boarding programs which is a good complement to a more technical approach. Safety is about focusing on the human element.
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