Without doubt the digital universe and the Internet in general have brought about a whirlwind of change in recent years. But, unfortunately, cybercrime has also opened the door to the misuse of the Internet by criminals who do not have precisely the best intentions. That is why it is important to know the dangers and the different ways of protecting ourselves, especially if it is in the area of business.

Europol has released the 2016 Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA). In this report, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) assesses the threats from organised Internet crime, covering the main developments, changes and emerging threats from cybercrime for the period under review. This edition highlights a trend in the volume, scope and cost of cybercrime material.

In addition, the UK authorities announced earlier this year that cybercrime has overtaken traditional crime for the first time in the country’s history. These are the 8 trends in cybercrime today:

 

  1. “Crime-as-a-Service”

Europol warns of a trend in the digital world towards a “crime-as-a-service” business model, with individuals and groups specialising in a niche crime. From hacks on demand, to paid DDoS, customised exploits, customised malware… Today you can buy almost any cybercrime service.

  1. Ransomware

No, it’s not that we want to be annoying and publish a lot of news about this type of malware, it’s just that not a week goes by without a new type coming out. In addition to ransomware, Europol acknowledges that banker Trojans have been a very popular form of malware this year.

  1. Criminal use of data

This year’s big hacks – Yahoo, MySpace, LinkedIn… – have pushed tons of gigabytes of personal data into the public eye… Many criminals have exploited these security holes for other hacking, fraud and, in some cases, extortion.

  1. Payment fraud

Europol acknowledges having received a large number of notifications for fraud by groups organised in computerised cash dispensers, EMV and contactless cards (NFC).

  1. Online child sexual abuse

The large number of tools and services that provide the long-awaited end-to-end encryption, along with anonymous payments through crypto-currencies, has led to “an escalation on live transmission of child sexual abuse”.

  1. The abuse of the Dark Web

An increasing number of activities related to cybercrime have moved to the Dark Web (or Darknet) as it is an Internet tool that requires special software such as Tor and I2P to access. In this way criminals take advantage of the anonymity of this area to pursue their business.

  1. Social engineering

Phishing attacks are becoming more and more elaborate and are targeting high-value targets. Europol highlights in 2016 the increase in CEO fraud (scams aimed at staff of senior companies).

  1. Virtual currencies

Europol recognizes that the Bitcoin has become the standard currency for online extortion payments. For that reason it has established a Bitcoin Money Laundering Division at the beginning of September.

 

In Esferize we are constantly updated on the dangers posed by cybercrime to protect our customers by offering solutions for each case. We invite you to stay tuned for new posts on this blog, where cybersecurity is a recurring theme with which we intend to help you prevent possible fraud, attacks or other risks. We remind you that our team of security experts is at your disposal and will be happy to help you with any doubts or queries you may have.

 

Source: derechodelared.com