There is no denying that technology is evolving rapidly by the day, but the effects are not all positive. Cybersecurity threats have been around for a long time now, with one out of three consumers experiencing a cybercrime in 2021. These threats keep improving; some are upgrades of the oldest tricks in the books, while others exploit new realities and technologies. Therefore, it is essential to know about these new threats to guard against them, whether you are a business owner or an everyday netizen. Below are some top cybercrime trends to be aware of this year.
1. Bot attacks
Your website needs traffic to get more leads and customers for sustained business growth. However, automated software programs called bots can also visit your site, causing bot traffic. This traffic can be excellent or frustrating, depending on the type of bots. The bad bots that visit unsuspecting websites cause a lot of trouble, and their attacks can be damning. For instance, cybercriminals leverage these bots to crawl websites and steal credentials that give unauthorized access to user accounts. This way, they can make fraudulent purchases with saved data and commit other types of fraud. These bots can also execute content scrapping, stealing essential website data, and replicating elsewhere to harm SEO efforts. Highly sophisticated attacks can be difficult to combat without the right resources, but fortunately, there is no shortage of ways to detect and block bots for better site performance.
2. Cryptojacking
Cryptocurrency is undoubtedly one of the hottest trends in the tech and financial world. Indeed, a Pew Research Center survey reveals that most U.S adults have at the very least heard about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and about 16% have invested, traded, or used one. Digital currency’s rising popularity has led to more crypto-jacking, a form of cybercrime where hackers secretly use your phone, laptop, or tablet’s computing power to mine cryptocurrency. Victims are tricked into installing programs with malicious scripts which give cybercriminals access to their devices. Then, cybercriminals use programs called coin miners to create or mine cryptocurrencies. It is an incredibly lucrative activity, and the process is relatively easy since no additional steps are required to withdraw or launder the money. Therefore, many experts predict that it will remain one of the most prominent cybercrimes for the foreseeable future.
3. Pandemic-related phishing
Phishing has always been a major cybersecurity threat to watch out for, but the pandemic has elevated it to a whole new level. The Phishing and Fraud Report’s fourth edition showed a whopping 220% rise in phishing incidents compared to the yearly average during the global pandemic. This is because cybercriminals exploit the pandemic narrative to cause fear and panic and con unsuspecting individuals. People have fallen victim to various scams, from CDC impersonators requesting donations to COVID-19 stimulus check fraud. It is safe to assume that everyone should be on the lookout for pandemic-related phishing and other associated cons because hackers will remain opportunistic if the pandemic lingers.
