Dear Reader,
As we approach the end of another busy year in cybersecurity, we look at some of 2023’s major themes in the industry: crypto, ransomware, and AI. Continue reading to find out more about notable cybersecurity news of the past month.
North Korea’s dependency on crypto
A recent report investigates North Korea's focus on cryptocurrency. Being heavily sanctioned by large parts of the international community, bitcoin and other digital currencies have become an important revenue stream for Pyongyang. According to the investigation “[i]n 2022 alone, North Korean threat actors were accused of stealing $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency, equivalent to 5% of the country's economy or 45% of its military budget.”
Trading via thumb drives
One way malicious actors consistently try to obtain cryptocurrency is ransomware, of course. A recent incident at the Manhattan branch of the world’s biggest bank was so severe that messengers are reportedly transporting USB thumb drives to keep operations running.
Interpol’s new “high-value target”
To strengthen border controls and identify criminals searched for internationally, Interpol recently rolled out a new biometric security system. While the system was vital for the recent arrest of a fugitive migrant smuggler, experts caution that it also poses a trove of highly valuable data and thus, is likely to be targeted by malicious actors.
AI election disinformation
Bruce Schneier recently laid out the danger generative AI poses to elections and the political process at large. The ability of malicious actors to create convincing phishing campaigns has been supercharged with the rise of generative AI. When applied to politics, its potential for abuse is even greater. Some countries have already seen the technology being used for deepfakes and misinformation.
CSM @ ETSI Security Conference 2023
In 2023, Cybersecurity Magazine was once again a media partner of the ETSI Security Conference. As such, we were on the ground interviewing many of the participating cybersecurity experts. Recordings of these conversations are continuously published on our website. So, make sure to check the latest uploads so as not to miss anything!
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