Surprising Data Predictions...
Although large corporations are the main ones to benefit because they have the data-harvesting resources, hackers are going to have their day too.
The downside to fast-paced advancement is technology often grows too big for its britches. That leaves a lot of open ends and loose bolts for hackers to squirm their way through.
The following data predictions focus on those loopholes and how hackers can potentially work their way around them.
1. Biometric hacking will be on the rise
Authentication based on physical characteristics (touch ID sensors, facial recognition passcodes) has been growing in popularity. It’s relative newness leaves it with vulnerabilities hackers can easily breach. They can exploit the weaknesses and flaws of hardware, devices, along with the collection and storage of data. Sectors like health care, government, and financial will have to stay on their toes.
2. Cyber attacks on cars won’t leave a pretty picture...
Imagine driving along in your futuristic, internet connected car. You happily drive along until… you notice something funny happening with your airbags… What’s happening? It’s a proven reality that it’s possible to hack and take control over a connected vehicle.
Examples of the type of damage that can be done include turning off the engine and disabling safety features like anti-lock brakes or the airbags. When cars become even more connected and driverless cars evolve, it gives hackers even more chances to deal some serious damage.
3. Hackers can hold the internet hostage
Large parts of the internet can be disabled, inaccessible to its creators and visitors alike. DDoS attacks occur when a site is flooded with more traffic than its servers can handle. In 2016, a DdoS attack against DNS hosting provider Dyn took down major websites it hosted like Twitter, Reddit, and Amazon. In 2019, it’s possible to see that escalate to a whole new level.
4. Watch out wireless carriers
Major telecommunications companies have become just as essential to city’s infrastructures as power grids and water systems. So imagine if there were to be an attack on a telecommunications company. That would disable smartphones all across the United States. It will also affect both iPhones and Androids as well as steal the personal information of the owners of those iPhones and Androids.
5. Printers of the world, unite and take over
Just this month, a hacker managed to remotely take over 50,000 printers and make them print posters in support of Youtube star, PewDiePie. While just a harmless prank, it goes to show how easy it is for a determined person with an internet connection to compromise internet-connected devices.
6. Head in the clouds? There’s no hiding there either
Top cloud service providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) have avoided large-scale hacking so far. Another piece of good news is most cloud services data breaches were from human error. But according to Experian, it’s only a matter of time before we see a cloud service hack. Billions of customer data will be compromised while simultaneously crippling large corporations and internet services.
