The prevalence and intensity of cyberattacks will subside in 2016 compared to this year, Kaspersky Lab has predicted.
The principal security researcher for Kaspersky Lab's Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT), Vitaly Kamluk, told attendees at the Cyber Security Summit in Malaysia that trends suggest advanced persistent threats (APTs) will slow next year.
To date, 12 different types of APTs were detected in 2015, including Wild Neutron, Darkhotel, Naikon and Duqu 2.0. Each cyberattack held varying levels of intensity in terms of damages and malicious activities executed.
“Cyberattackers, particularly those involved in major operations, are mainly motivated by monetary gains and purposes relating to self-infamy. Some are even supported by sovereign entities and other social movements, which explains the source of their resources and their motivations,” explained Kamluk.
According to Kaspersky Lab, as cybersecurity companies develop their knowledge libraries in combating these APTs and to increase awareness, the effectiveness of such threats diminishes significantly. As a result, malicious agents and entities are expected to evolve and develop alternative means.
According to GReAT senior security researcher Sergey Lozhkin, the access to hacking and networks breaching tools is still widely available, despite the exposure and shutting down of the “undernet” or illegal resource site otherwise known as the Dark Web.
Illegal hacking tools including hacking codes, data exfiltration viruses as well as Botnets are available on the Dark Web. But due to governmental and law enforcement measures, the more common or unrestricted Dark Web sites have been shut down.
But Lozhkin warned, “The Dark Web is not dead. It is merely re-building”. In his presentation, he said that the Dark Web might end up becoming more secure as it is able to deliver two-factor authentication and certificates for access to resource sites. Bitcoin is still the currency of choice on the Dark Web, with hacking tools and botnets available for the right price.
“Novice cybercriminals can purchase botnets and hacking applications for $5,000, which enables them to accumulate as much as $25,000 in illegal financial gains in a single day,” said Lozhkin.