Research estimates that in 2015, there would be more havoc-creating cyber terrorism. It is important to adopt adequate measures for timely detection, deterrence and preventive inspection to protect all vulnerable key devices
As we get more and more addicted to the information highway, Internet and mobile apps, cyber threat and security issues loom significantly. The latest trend in cyber terrorism is beautifully narrated in the real life story, ‘How my mom got hacked’, by Alina Simone in The New York Times.
Cryptowall, the malware had popped up on her mom’s computer locking all the files and demanded a ransom amount of $500 to get the key to decrypt them and if not paid within the time limit, the ransom amount would go double and, thereafter, the files would be destroyed forever!
The victim had no way but to pay the ransom to the unique Bitcoin ‘wallet’ to get the key to decrypt them. Cryptowall has been in cyber terror business for quite some time now and its earlier version Cryptolocker had demanded a high ransom of $800,000 from detroit authorities.
The massive attack on Sony Pictures happened only in November, 2014. The skulls showed up on its computer systems threatening to expose secrets actually forced Sony to cancel the release of satirical comedy, The Interview, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The hackers called themselves ‘Guardians of Peace’ and exposed embarrassing emails of some film celebrities. The Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey had concluded that the hackers had “failed on multiple occasions to use the proxy servers that bounce their Internet connection through an obfuscating computer somewhere else in the world, revealing IP addresses that tied them to North Koreans”.
Recent research on cyber crime estimates that in 2015, there would be more sophisticated and havoc-creating cyber terrorism, with innovative modus operandi targeting higher infection rates aiming at more income.
The emergence of new payment methods through Bitcoin has transformed Ransomware into a money spinning business. Attackers have varied motives, like spreading terror, espionage work, hacktivism, waging cyber wars and of course making money. Attackers may target specific machines or platform or set up, evading layers of detection mechanisms, launching attacks on computers.
Malware developed for espionage could be used by hired cyber crime groups. The successful Ransomware attacks will embolden attackers to design more stealthy ‘time bomb’ attack on an enterprise, threatening to cripple multiple resources, forcing it to pay ransom. Cyber crimes getting scot free, encourage more wild hackers to experiment in the terror landscape.
A recent study undertaken by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India-Mahindra Special Services Group, shows that cyber crimes in India is likely to cross 3,00,000 by 2015. India is the third most affected country after the US and Japan. Out of 560 million global average of cyber crimes on smartphones in 2012, India had 46 million, more than eight per cent of them. Total Indian websites hacked in 2013 were 28,481and are expected to reach 85,000 in 2015 with increasing incidents from top three States — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra contributing 70 per cent to India’s revenue from information technology related industries.
The key concern is that the source of the attack is based abroad from China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Algeria. Attacks can target critical infrastructure like power grids, transportation networks, critical infrastructure operational systems, espionage, as a political retaliation tool on defence and financial institutions.
Outsourcing malware production and building out attacks are becoming the order of cyber warfare. Experts opine that malware-as-a-service has been there for some years, but attacks-as-a-service are going to be a new reality in 2015.
Nation-states and entities have no escape but to be prepared for the new trend in cyber terrorism and re-invent endpoint security. It is important to adopt adequate measures for timely detection, deterrence and preventive inspection to protect all vulnerable key devices.
Increasing trends in cyber crime and experts’ predictions should caution us to heighten security protocols on computers, smartphones and other connected devices. Adequately updated cyber security should be ensured by banks as online bank accounts are exposed to phishing attacks and other frauds.
As increasing use of mobile banking through smartphones and tablets for financial transactions intensify the exposure. Keeping information devices backed up promptly on an independent drive or by using a secure cloud back up and updating software by getting latest ‘patch’ must become the irreducible minimum security preparedness.
The establishment of a National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre, the Indian Computer Emergency Response, the Cyber Security mock drills, the Information Sharing and Analysis Centres and the creation of a pool of 5,00,000 cyber security professionals in five years, as envisaged in the National Cyber Security Policy of 2013, should be taken up. Existing mechanisms should be revamped.