WITH the last day of March designated as World Backup Day, it would be appropriate to remind you to do the needful with your digital data.
The suddenness of a malware strike often leaves in its wake a trail of frustration and disruption. Backing up regularly — more often than once a year — will help to ease some of that pain, allowing you to pick up from a point where things were still running smoothly on your system.
Statistics on the World Backup Day site have some alarming figures: 21% of people have never made a backup; up to 20% of consumer PCs encounter malware annually; 113 phones are lost or stolen every minute; and almost 30% of data loss cases are a result of accidents.
Fix Your OS, Or Else…
And while you’re backing up your data, have you updated your operating system?
In a recent discussion with cybersecurity firm, Acronis, outdated and vulnerable desktop operating systems are a weak point when it comes to malware attacks.
Computer companies roll out new models and new operating systems fairly regularly. Part of it is to deliver an efficient experience that the users will enjoy, and also to keep pace with the increasingly powerful demands of new software.
It’s also a great way to continue making money as new models become shiny new objects of desire. In its wake, though, is an array of outdated operating systems and computers that are still in use, exposing the users to cyber threats as the OS providers stop providing patches.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THE VIDEO
Everybody’s Coding
The sudden emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up opportunities for new ventures — both good and bad.
Young children are starting to code and the ease of use of Generative AI, like Chat GPT, has accelerated the pace of development.
That means the hackers are also on the alert to opportunities.
Cybersecurity businesses are also matching what the bad hats are up to, says Alexander Ivanyuk, Senior Director, Technology, Acronis Threat Research Unit..
They have been using AI to search for anomalies, to train the model to find something unusual.
“We have to use AI to fight AI,” says Alexander.
ALSO READ: Human-AI Collaboration For The Ad Industry
AI, A Partner In Crime
While many new opportunities have emerged, it’s still some of the tried and proven methods that prevail. Phishing was done manually, to send malicious links via email. Now, you probably see less mistakes in the emails, with many of them looking like the genuine thing.
And AI can send out more emails than a person could. AI could also be used to generate malware, and create deepfake videos.
Implementing cybersecurity countermeasures to filter what’s entering your inbox is one way to keep the threats at arm’s length.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER THE VIDEO
Dangers Of Using An Outdated OS
About 10% of the global computer systems are using outdated software. With the total number of computers, smartphones and tablets running into the billions, that still amounts to millions of potential points of entry for a hacker.
Cyber security professionals recommend you are using the latest operating systems, depending on your computer, to patch your software and take measures to safeguard entry points to the system, such as login credentials and passwords.
Mac OS Safer Than Windows?
For those who still think the Mac OS is safer than Windows, the rise in popularity of Apple’s products has seen more attacks occurring…on both platforms.
Hackers are also targeting important individuals for spear phishing attempts, where the payday could be much greater than phishing openly.
Hackers are also working deviously to get around all the new cyber security measures. From applying multiple stages to implant a malware, to IP targeting, the delivery chain is becoming more complicated. Codes are hard to detect, and this is where AI comes in to help ferret out the malicious lines of code. The availability of malware as a service on the dark web increases the frequency of these attacks.
Every which way you turn, you can’t avoid AI’s presence and influence. While it’s a relative newcomer, it looks like it’s here to stay. Which means, you’d best make room for it and, like any tool, use it to your advantage.
