Marius Breedis, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, has been monitoring what hackers are talking about online. Based on this, he predicts what threats we'll face in the future and how we can protect ourselves from them. Here are five predictions that will happen in 2024, based on the most popular topics in the hacker forum.
Nude photos will be leaked and faked. Hackers are obsessed with nude photos, also known as body cam photos, which they can steal from OnlyFans, Instagram, and other platforms. They also use AI or deepfake technology to create fake nude photos of celebrities or anyone they want to target. This is a serious invasion of privacy and can cause emotional and reputational damage. To avoid this, don't send nude photos via social media and use encrypted cloud solutions when sharing photos.
AI will help hackers with phishing and scams. Hackers are learning how to use AI to automate and improve their attacks. For example, they can use AI to create convincing phishing emails that trick users into revealing their passwords or personal information. They can also use AI to impersonate the voices or faces of people you know or trust. To avoid this, use a browser extension that can detect phishing emails and verify the identity of the sender before clicking on any links or attachments.
Amateur hackers will increase in number and skill. Hackers share knowledge and tutorials with each other on how to perform various types of attacks. Some of the most popular topics are how to dox someone, how to hack a friend's WhatsApp, how to crack a TikTok account, and how to hack Wi-Fi networks. This means that anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can become a hacker and cause trouble. To protect yourself, take cybersecurity training and keep up with the latest attacks.
Customer information is a hot commodity. Hackers continue to target vulnerable personal information, such as social media credentials, driver's licenses, addresses, emails, and other information. They sell this data on the dark web or use it to commit identity theft, fraud, or extortion. This means that no user is safe from hackers and data breaches. To protect your online data, use multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible and change your passwords regularly.
Biometrics are not enough. Many platforms that value user security now offer biometric authentication, such as fingerprint, facial, or voice recognition. However, hackers have already learned how to circumvent some of these methods, such as the selfie authentication used by some cryptocurrency platforms. They can use photos, videos, or audio recordings to fool the system. This means that biometric authentication is not reliable enough and needs to be combined with other methods. One of the most promising technologies in this area is passkey technology, which uses a pair of keys (public and private) that are tied to the device owner's biometric information and cannot be accessed without it.
