Evolving and Renewing: “Creative” Cyber Attacks and Cybersecurity Threats

As developing information systems provide increasingly deeper technological infrastructure, they can also lead to vulnerabilities in the face of continuously evolving cyberattacks. Despite strengthening their defense mechanisms against increasingly sophisticated and complex cyberattacks, organizations may still become vulnerable to the very attacks they are intolerant of.

According to the SonicWall Cyber Attack Report, there was an 11% increase in cyberattacks in 2023. Encrypted threats and cryptojacking have emerged as the most rapidly growing methods of cyberattacks.

CRYTOJACKING: A Resource-Consumption-Based Cyber Attack Type

In cryptojacking attacks—which can be translated as “cryptocurrency theft”—the goal is to perform cryptocurrency mining. Unlike other cyber attacks, cryptojacking does not aim to steal personal data and does not directly target data security breaches. Software designed to mine Bitcoin or similar cryptocurrencies directs the mined tokens to wallets owned by attackers, and the attacked individual’s system resources effectively become a resource for the attacker.

You may be exposed to cryptojacking attacks as a result of ransomware, the use of malicious websites, or clicking on a malicious link. While cryptojacking continues to run in the background, you may notice a gradual decrease in your computer’s performance and an increase in overheating. High CPU usage can also be one of the indicators that you are under a cryptojacking cyber attack.

AI-Powered Cyber Attacks and Deepfake Techniques

Artificial intelligence makes malicious software much more effective and practical. AI-powered attacks enable the use of personalized phishing emails that do not raise suspicion for users, and by analyzing online habits, they can generate cyber attack content that easily persuades users.

Deepfake technology can create highly realistic videos and audio recordings through visual and voice manipulation. Content produced using artificial intelligence technology is so close to reality that, in an experiment, it was stated that only 0.1% of participants were able to correctly identify all of the presented audio and video samples.

Humans, on the other hand, can be said to be not very helpful when it comes to closing cybersecurity gaps. According to research, 29% of people take no action when they encounter a suspicious deepfake. Not knowing what to do is one of the main reasons for this situation. The percentage of those who openly state that they do not care when encountering a suspicious deepfake is 25%.

Artificial intelligence is also used to develop cyber attack software. When used as a tool, AI can dynamically modify malicious software to make detection more difficult and to bypass cybersecurity measures.

Quantum Computing–Based Cyber Attacks and Data Security Risks

Quantum computers can perform operations much faster than classical computers in ways that traditional systems cannot. Although they are currently used by a limited group, the processing power of quantum computers may make it easier to steal encrypted data and could turn into a cyber attack tool capable of creating serious data security risks.

The increasingly heated “data” battle between individuals and organizations trying to protect their data and cyber attackers does not appear likely to end anytime soon. While cyber attacks continue to increase every year, organizations and individuals keep trying to protect themselves with cybersecurity measures.

An Invitation to Reflect on Cybersecurity and Data Security

So, how far will cyber attackers be able to go in the next 100 years? And what about those trying to protect their data. Which cyberattacks will go down in internet history?