Whether we like it or not, there will always be those who are willing to do anything to make an easy score out of our hard-earned money. The thing is, when this type of negative habit becomes prevalent amongst companies, even the biggest corporations will suffer losses.
While modern technology was able to introduce safety measures for companies to protect all their assets from cyberattacks, the concept of elevation worked both ways as well, meaning that hackers and phishing scammers also upped their game in the process.
The year 2022 is no stranger to these massive cyberattacks, with companies continuing to suffer losses due to the relentless surge of scams and data leaks.
If you are wondering about the possible causes of this sudden surge in cyberattacks this year, look no further than our examples below.
1. The Most Familiar Ones, Phishing Scams and Phishing Attacks
If you have a smartphone or PC, phishing scams and pharming attacks are already familiar to you. While they look like legitimate notifications that appear on the screen, the truth is they are all fake. Once you click on those notifications, you will be redirected to a malicious site where you will be asked to disclose your personal details, and in some cases, you will also be asked to pay some money in order to receive the service that you requested.
2. The Rise of Cryptojacking
The rise of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ripple, and Ethereum, has become so popular even after the cryptocurrency bubble burst back in January 2018. While you cannot deny the popularity and potential of these digital assets, cryptocurrency mining is also extremely popular, which is basically a process of producing the said digital currency and putting it into circulation.
What you don’t know is that the end gaming activity is extremely costly, and since the mining process is so difficult, mining pools are formed wherein a group of people agree to help each other generate their cryptocurrency rewards.
While this sounds like a good thing, it is actually pretty dangerous because cybercriminals will find ways to hijack your PC’s processing power in order to do the mining, which is called cryptojacking.
3. The Rampant Growth of Dridex
The Dridex malware has been around for more than four years and is famous for its malware-as-a-service platform. It also has the ability to target millions of users around the globe, which means data theft and extortion are a big possibility. The only reason that it hasn’t gone wild is that it only targets people, so companies have been able to maintain their data to avoid data breaches.
4. The Rise of Malicious E-Cards
Malicious e-cards are actually not a new thing. It was first introduced in 2003 and was even documented in 2006. However, there are new variants, and it has been detected in more than 1,500 e-mails, with the latest variant being available in 2018. What makes it so dangerous is that it has the ability to infect your computer and steal your personal data.
The older variants are mostly just used to cause damage to your computer and system, but the newer ones are able to steal your personal data as well.
5. Ransomware
Ransomware is not new to the world of cybercrime either. It was first introduced to the general public in 1989 when the first ransomware was named PC Cyborg because it was able to extract money from its victims using their computers. Since then, it has spread like wildfire, and yet, people are still not very vigilant with their data and gadgets.
The world of online businesses is in turmoil. Cybercriminals keep on coming up with new ideas and approaches to commit their crimes. As this was an overview of the most popular cyber threats that we expect to see this year, we hope that you can take advantage of all the information above and better secure yourself and your data.
Take note of them all and remember all the precautionary measures to prevent any of them from compromising your assets and data.
If you are looking for a company that provides anti-phishing measures, look no further than our expertise here at FraudWatch. We are a digital brand protection company, and we provide a wide range of services that will protect you, your venture, and all your data from online scams and phishing attempts. Call us today and let us set up all the necessary measures required to protect your brand.