You may not be familiar with the term, but there is a new breed of hackers out there known as “nation-state attackers.” They are an evil bunch who use malware to create upheaval and harm to people on a material level. They are life-threatening, rather than just being a financial threat. We think of people who use malware as only being after the money of their victims, but that’s not the case any longer. Their role has now taken a terrifying turn…
It’s scary to think of, but nation-state hackers are now able to hack our systems of infrastructure, such as power grids, water supply and even transportation systems. How would a failure of power or transportation affect us? Malware has the potential of bringing down the infrastructure of a major metropolis at any time, making it a terrifying enemy. In the age of modern technology, our world faces modern threats. Malware is a big part of it.
Ransomware has been a big part of the malware problem and is quite the money maker. It’s growing out of control. Hackers have altered the lives of ordinary citizens by hacking into the systems that control everyday life.
As scary as it is, it’s unfortunately not a new problem. In the Ukraine last year, more than 225,000 people had their power shut down by a sinister group known as the Black Energy Group. Just last week, a nasty form of malware manifested itself in yet another energy company in Europe.
It had the ability to give hackers backdoor access to the system and obtain all the data that would allow them to create havoc. When the system is in the early stages of being rebooted, that’s when a lot of the automatic security software kicks in.
This malware can get in at these early stages of a reboot and do its damage, gaining the info and access it needs. What makes it even more sophisticated is the ability for it to go undetected by removing itself automatically should it get sandboxed in by one of these security systems.
Hackers are using increasingly dangerous malware and ransomware. It’s never been more important to protect yourself than now and there’s never been a better way to do it than with Tech Sentries.