More hacktivism, state-sponsored attacks in 2013 - Kaspersky

MANILA, Philippines - Cyber-espionage, “hacktivism,” and state-sponsored cyber-attacks made it to the list of top predictions that will shape the digital security landscape for 2013, according to Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions.

 

The report entitled “Kaspersky Security Bulletin 2012: Malware Evolution” also lists legal use of surveillance tools, attacks on cloud-based networks, cyber extortion on companies and individual Internet users, and mobile malware as among the top predictions for 2013.

 

Other top predictions include fake security certificates, deterioration of personal privacy, the development of more Mac OS malicious software, and cybercriminals' growing use of software exploits.

 

Incidentally, some of the predictions for 2013 mentioned in the report are also rooted on incidences for 2012, including an escalation of serious types of cybercrime such as targeted attacks on companies, “hacktivism,” attacks on cloud-based infrastructure, deterioration of digital privacy, issues with online trust and digital authorities, attacks on Mac OS X malware and mobile malware, and ransomware and crypto-extortion.

 

However, a more pressing concern is the rise of cyber-attacks authorized by nation-states. Costin Raiu, Kaspersky Lab Director of Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) said that this could be an era of cold “cyber-war.” 

 

“Looking ahead, we can expect more countries to develop cyber weapons - designed to steal information or sabotage systems - not least because the entry-level for developing such weapons is much lower than is the case with real-world weapons. The targets for such cyber-attacks could include energy supply and transportation control facilities, financial and telecommunications systems and other 'critical infrastructure' facilities,” warned Raiu. 

 

Governments, pressured by the growing threat of cyber-attacks against their infrastructure are also compelled to use technology for monitoring suspected cybercriminals, a serious security breach that could put law enforcement to question. “Clearly, the use of legal surveillance tools has wider implications for privacy and civil liberties. And as law enforcement agencies, and governments, try to get one step ahead of the criminals, it's likely that the use of such tools - and the debate surrounding their use - will continue.” 

 

Raiu stressed that 2012 was already a year for cyber-activism or “hacktivism” and cyber-espionage against global private industries and governments. These events were continuation from the same incidences from previous years, though these were in much wider scale and had more serious effects. 

 

“The powerful actors from 2011 remained the same: hacktivist groups, IT security companies, nation states fighting each other through cyber-espionage, major software and gaming developers such as Adobe, Microsoft, Oracle or Sony, law enforcement agencies and traditional cybercriminals, Google, via the Android operating system, and Apple, thanks to its Mac OS X platform,” Raiu said.