Year in Review: Looking Back on Our Top 10 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2018, and Our Predictions for 2019!

2018 was certainly a year for cybersecurity news: high-profile hacks, ransomware attacks, cryptocurrency fluctuations and more. But now the year has ended, so it is time to check whether the cybersecurity predictions I made 12 months ago were correct!

The Predictions for 2018

1. GDPR: Many companies will not be compliant with the new EU regulation by the deadline

Despite the huge fines introduced with the new EU regulation (up to 20 million Euros or 4 percent of global turnover), many companies are still not compliant with the GDPR.

The GDPR had a significant impact on organizations that decided to be compliant by the May 25th deadline. Probably the biggest issue faced by businesses was the harmonization of the work conducted by IT staff, legal representatives, human resources and C-level executives.

2. Ransomware will be the most dangerous threat to businesses and organizations worldwide

During 2018, ransomware represented one of the most dangerous threats to organizations and end users. Specific ransomware families, such as the SamSam and Gandcrab ransomware, were particularly active.

The SamSam hackers stole from over 200 organizations, including public institutions, municipalities, and hospitals. They have caused over $30 million in losses.

The list of victims includes the City of Atlanta, the port of San Diego and the Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT).

The overall number of new ransomware families has increased. Experts observed the birth of new ransom-as-a-service platforms on the Dark Web, platforms that make it very easy for wannabe crooks to arrange their ransomware campaigns.

3. Cybercriminals focus on cryptocurrencies

Last year, I predicted a significant increase in the number of cyber-attacks against cryptocurrencies, and the events observed in the last months confirmed that I was right. Hackers targeted almost any actor involved in the business of cryptocurrencies: single users, miners and, of course, (Read more...)