CYBER-ATTACKS

We’re too late! Engage clocking device then notify the fleet and return to base.

Future cyber-attacks won’t be done by man. Cyber-attacks will be performed by AI.  Various AI trained by machine learning will vulnerability check and then drop helper bots on vulnerable networks and computers along the way.  Undetected, these additional bots will further the attack by increasing the depth and breadth that gives worldwide impact to such attacks. Quite possibly it will run on one of the major cloud platforms where global staging of bits that do the damage are housed and can go undetected for a long time.  Not only are they asking for ransom but the biggest ransomed users will start demanding global ID’s in hopes of stopping these types of attacks. In fact I believe that the attacks will increase until that nefarious plan succeeds.  Granted, personal activities that are initiated by you either via an email link, or some other source of link, or do some kind of application install causes most of the issues.  But not all.  More education in this area would help.

Not only will these attacks continue, but the online games that millions of kids of varying ages use every day, have live chat rooms.

Why is that important? And, how does that relate to cyber-attacks?

Chat rooms are being used in games to organize others as groups in the games and to make trades for items gathered during game play. That’s easy enough. But, with young kids for the thought of getting extra game items or items for free, will click on, download and install some application only to find out their password was stolen, game assets drained and have been locked out of their account. Not quite the same as recent cyber-attacks that have struck around the world, but a personal attack nevertheless and ones that often go unreported. And, just maybe a yet to be detected bot?  (Parental setup and security control of a kid’s computer is another topic)

Most online games and platforms for game play state that those under certain age should not have access unless they have their legal guardian’s permission.  I wonder how many pass up reading the access rules!  Kids seem to have more computer knowledge than parents and many don’t bother following up after setting up a kid on a platform.  A lot use Facebook whom are under the age of 18. The smart kids will gain access quite easily.

This should bother everyone.   Kids really don’t know how old or who the person’s on the other end of the chat are. Their susceptible to screen chatter and are not on the guard when someone might be asking probing questions such as do you have pets. What’s your school’s mascot name? Etc, add your own and it can be scary indeed. The social engineering aspect that kids face can be challenging.  They exist and everyone has vulnerabilities.

Kids are now playing augmented reality games on smart devices and as the games move to 3d glasses, uncontrolled augmented reality games could be a catalyst for cyberattacks.  Couldn’t it? Meet me at the cemetery our job is to grave rob.  The prize is located 6 feet down and looks like a sack of shingles If found will be worth 20,000 bit coins.  Hey we’re having a 100 person march tonight in support of macaroni and cheese school lunch Thursdays. Meet us at the school with a can of orange paint for a chance for a secret Santa surprise.

Perhaps none of this will be like that if we’re aware and teach our kids. But what if things like that have happened and are continuing to happen?

I mean parents can’t sit and watch everything a kid does online or can they?  Are you a parent with school age kids?  Kids that use the internet that play games such as ROBLOX.COM? And, other free online games?  They are fun but I would be very concerned if you did not check into and understand what these online games are.   As mentioned most have chat rooms to communicate with others in a game. But, kids really don’t know how old the persons on the other end of the chat are. Maybe an AI Trained chat bot that we help train!! Nice. And, that has recently happened.

Some possible solutions.

1. Create automatic sandboxes for running games either on desktop or place browser functionality into a sandbox no matter who the vendor of the browser.
2. Deliver all email with links and active content turned off by default.
3. Allow easier access to mail headers and provide mail header tracing for validation and research.
4. Remove cross site cookie tracking and web beacons. Less tracking would eliminate targeted threats.
5. Allow 3d glasses to work only within 20 feet of a matched base station.
6. A drive for personal photos and documents that could never be used or locked by unauthorized sources. Cloud as backup perhaps?
7. Two factor authentication where the parent receives the code to login. Could be too much but is a good idea if it would work.
8. And, while not mentioned above fix IoT security. This will help as well.

However, removing tracking will be difficult as it generates millions of dollars for advertisers. Media watching and usage changes are taking the industry by storm. Many have given up cable and are doing so at a rapid pace.  Desktop usage has gone down as users become more mobile.  Advertisers large and small still need a way to push advertisements to consumers.

Just a few years ago bandwidth was more expensive and users did not want all the extra ads being displayed.  Application availability was sparse and not many that good. Bubble popper was my favorite and could be heard in many restrooms.  Now at the speed of thought and light our devices via tracking, application usage, site participation with voice activation and weather are presenting the prepared “Just For You” items that tracks across owned devices.  The metrics!!! Damn, the metrics.

We all need knowledge of how to protect ourselves and our families in the digital age from current and future cyber-attacks.   The rapidly changing false headlines this past year could have been a cyber attack. Couldn’t it?  Makes us all Wanna Cry.

Perspective is what it is.