Abstract
2019 will see cybersecurity alliances of defenders continuing to mature.
“In 2018, we witnessed even greater collaboration among cybercriminals through underground alliances,” said Raj Samani, chief scientist at McAfee. “This collaborative mentality has allowed for efficiencies in underground technologies and tactics, and the evolution of bad actors into some of the most organized and agile adversaries in the world. However, while we expect the underground market collaboration to continue, the year 2019 will also see cybersecurity alliances of defenders continuing to mature and further fortify defences.”
There are people who are being arrested and there are people who are being indicted. There is the disruption and takedown of criminal infrastructure. It is happening today. So it is positive, but it’s like swimming upstream. Every single person across the planet today has the ability to become a cybercriminal with access to a browser and about 10 minutes of reading — if that. They’re recruiting what we would call ransomware affiliates. It’s accessible and available for anybody to become a criminal. You wouldn’t anticipate people to walk out and try to rob a bank, but [when] a couple of mouse clicks gives you maybe $5,000-$10,000 a month, it’s different. The psychological barriers to become a cybercriminal compared to a physical criminal I think are way, way lower. We’re dealing with this world in which nation-states are moving away from traditional warfare to electronic warfare because it’s cheaper. You’ve got non-repudiation, you don’t have to leave your borders, all of these things. So that’s the challenge that we’re facing. We’ve literally just opened these floodgates and there’s so much of it. It is exhausting and relentless, but we do have wins.
