Ransomware to target cloud computing, experts predict

Ransomware is likely to become one of the biggest cyber threats to face businesses in 2018 as ransomware experts begin targeting the growing number of cloud computing companies, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has revealed.

According to the MIT Technology Review, while the current trend of big data breaches is likely to continue into the New Year, ransomware specifically aimed at increasingly popular cloud computing services is set to become the new cyber criminal development.

Specifically, MIT experts predict that criminals will begin targeting cloud computing businesses due to the huge volumes of sensitive data they store. This type of cyber attack is unlikely to affect the largest cloud computing companies, they added, but smaller cloud providers are expected to be vulnerable to encryption.

The report also suggested that 2018 will result in an increase in the adoption of machine learning technology and other AI developments, which can process huge levels of data and perform actions that detect known vulnerabilities or suspicious behaviour.

However, in response to these comments the McAfee Labs 2018 threats prediction report suggested that cyber criminals are likely to adopt machine learning in their own processes, allowing them to learn from organisations' defences and disrupt detection solutions while searching for new vulnerabilities.

In order to tackle this increasing threat, the McAfee Labs report concludes that businesses should combine the benefit of machine speed and judgement with human strategy and intellect to create the best possible defence system.

According to the McAfee experts, this type of planned response network is the only way organisations will be able to anticipate cyber attack patterns and prevent outside access to their cloud computing data, particularly when it comes to new attack methods.

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