Growing threat of global cyber conflicts and hactivism

Dec 03, 2015, 08:45 am

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Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne visits Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) on November 17, 2015. Previously, the finance minister said public spending on cyber security would almost double to fight against cyber attacks./ Source from AP, Yonhap News


By AsiaToday reporter Goh Jin-ah - As cyber attacks and hactivism are spreading worldwide, it is expected to have dramatic implications for companies and countries as well as presidential elections.


American news agency Newsroom America stated on November 30 that cyber attacks and hacktivism landscape continues to evolve and that individuals and companies must be prepared to respond to any type of security incident.


The media outlet cited the annual Data Breach Industry Forecast report released by Experian Data Breach Resolution, and expected that cybercrimes could likely occur to not only companies and individuals but also the looming 2016 U.S. presidential election.


In fact, cyber attacks are being evolved every day. International hacktivist group Anonymous took down more than 5,500 Twitter accounts belong to Islamic State after the collective declared a war on the militant group following the Paris attacks. 


Cyber attacks for bitcoins, a virtual monetary unit, are increasing as well. A hacker group recently staged cyber-attacks on three Greek banks and demanded a ransom from each lender of 20,000 bitcoin that worth €7 million (KRW 8.57 billion).


Experian Data Breach Resolution vice president Michael Bruemmer said, "We saw different types of breaches this year. One of the major mistakes companies often make is taking a one-size-fits-all approach." He pointed out that a wide variety of unique circumstances need to be considered in a data breach response plan as no data breach is the same.


With the U.S. presidential election coming in a year, presidential candidates and their campaigns are likely be hacked. As campaigns today are spreading online, the potential for a politically motivated attack is significant.


Bruemmer warned, "For a fame-hungry criminal or motivated detractor, such crime is an attractive platform. It could happen with any activity on a national or global stage."


 

#global cyber conflicts #hactivism #Experian Data Breach Resolution #Data Breach Industry Forecast #U.S. presidential election 
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