2017 February | Page 4

Report Predicts Escalation of Cyber Attacks in 2017
Report Predicts Escalation of Cyber Attacks in 2017
A new report makes five major predictions about how cyber attacks will escalate in number and severity in 2017 .
New Malware Campaign Affects 1 Million Google Accounts
A malware campaign downloads unauthorized apps onto a user ’ s device in order to generate advertisement revenue .
Authorities Shut Down Cyber Crime Ring
A large group of hackers called the Avalanche network has been shut down by authorities in the United States and the European Union ( EU ).

Report Predicts Escalation of Cyber Attacks in 2017

According to a recent report from Experian , a global information services group , businesses can expect to see an increase in the number and severity of cyber attacks in 2017 . The report also predicts that a large number of politicallymotivated cyber attacks near the end of 2016 will escalate into a larger cyber attack conflict , and that businesses in the financial , security and health care industries will be the most frequently targeted .
Major Predictions
As a part of the report , Experian made five major predictions for cyber attacks in 2017 :
• Password breaches will contribute to the abandonment of the password as a security measure . Although the theft of login IDs and passwords constitutes a short-term threat , the report states that cyber criminals continue to sell passwords long after they are stolen . And , as businesses and consumers are lured into a false sense of security after their password is unknowingly stolen , passwords alone will begin to fall out of favor . Instead , the report emphasizes that two-factor identification — where two separate pieces of authentication evidence are required — should be used by businesses to defend against cyber attacks .
• New , sophisticated attacks will continue to target the health care industry . Because medical identities and information remains relatively easy to access and profitable for hackers , the health care industry will continue to be a target in 2017 . The report also states that large establishments , such as hospital networks , will continue to face threats like ransomware , a type of attack where an organization is “ locked out ” until a financial ransom is payed .
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