IID Finds Murder by Internet, NFC Exploits Emerge as Genuine Cybersecurity Threats in 2013
IID, securing the Internet with shared cyber intelligence, today issued a midterm report on its cybersecurity predictions for 2014, revealing we are on our way to seeing many of these prognostications become a reality.
The company also released its cybersecurity predictions two years out for 2015, which includes housefires and burglaries caused by hackers, and the demise of Bitcoin and Tor. The below findings are expanded upon at http://internetidentity.com/news/?id=427.
2014 Predictions Scorecard
Last year at this time, IID boldly envisioned that by the end of 2014:
- We will witness the first ever public case of murder via hacked Internet-connected device.
There has yet to be a proven case of murder via Internet however precautions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and former Vice President Dick Cheney were put in place to prevent this. Conspiracy theories have also swirled around the death of controversial journalist Michael Hastings.
- Almost all of the applications written to interface with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology will be riddled with security holes, and massive losses will ensue.
Many proven examples of the significant security holes in NFC have surfaced but there have been no documented massive losses.
- There will be a strong response to cyberthreats in the form of an intelligence-sharing network through which companies and government institutions can collaborate on attacks. Also, Congress will enact new cybersecurity legislation that provides safe harbor protections, enabling collaborators to share intelligence more freely.
This has come true both through directives from President Barack Obama and from congressional action.
- There will be a large increase of government-sanctioned malware targeting other government institutions around the globe with nation states openly engaging in acts of cyber-espionage and sabotage.
This has come true with China emerging as a serious cyber espionage threat in 2013, and North Korea reportedly launching cyberattacks.
- There will be at least one successful penetration of a major infrastructure component like a power grid that results in billions of dollars in damage.
- There will be an exploit of a significant military assault system like drones that result in real-world consequences.
Fortunately, neither of these final two predictions has proven accurate that IID is aware of.
"Remember, however, that these prognostications were made for the end-of-year 2014, which means we've got another year to go," said Paul Ferguson, vice president of threat intelligence at IID. "Of course, while IID doesn't normally like being wrong, we would be more than relieved if these potential catastrophes never come to fruition."
New IID Predictions for 2015
IID isn't interested in making easily foreseeable, short-term predictions. Consequently, these latest prognostications are intended for two years from now.
IID predicts the following by the end of 2015:
- Due to the "Internet of Things," where virtually everything electronic is conveniently connected to the Internet, malicious hackers will take advantage by burning houses down remotely and/or remotely turning off security systems to allow burglars inside.
- Users will shun Bitcoin, the untraceable digital currency exchange and Tor, the anonymous Web browser, due to the high amount of criminal activity on both. This will lead to their collapse.
- Cybercriminals will leverage new generic top-level domains (i.e. .aero, .biz, .museum, etc.) to cause mass confusion and disruptions to enterprises and consumers.
For more details about how IID came to its findings, go to http://internetidentity.com/news/?id=427.
About IID
IID empowers threat intelligence sharing for enterprises and governments in a trusted environment that reaches beyond limited trust groups. The company aggregates and analyzes widely sourced threat data, and delivers actionable intelligence to facilitate the protection of assets, brands and users. Top financial firms, the largest government agencies, and leading e-commerce companies, social networks and ISPs leverage IID to detect and mitigate threats.
For more information about IID, go to http://www.internetidentity.com/
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