THE CYBER-SCAM WILL CONTINUE IN 2023: the networks or the metaverse, in the spotlight

The scam will continue in 2023. Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for new ways to attack Internet users, taking advantage of vulnerabilities in technologies and devices and the ignorance and weakness of users.

“We have been living in a ‘scam’ for some time and there are no signs of slowing down”says Michal Salat, director of Threat Intelligence at Avast, a company that by 2023 foresees an increase in the risk of attacks from “ransomware”, an extortion that is carried out through a “malware” -malicious program- that enters company or personal equipment: computers, laptops and mobile devices.

In exchange for regaining control and information – the cybercriminal can threaten to leak valuable data for the user or companies – we will be required to pay a ransom. “Ransomware attacks are already a nightmare for individuals and companies”, says Salat in a statement.

From Avast they also foresee an optimization of the social engineering used in scam attacks, taking advantage of economic difficulties and fear of the energy crisis.

“Next year we expect to see attacks that play on people’s economic and environmental concerns. Scams are not only flooding people’s inboxes in the form of phishing emails, they are bombarding people’s text messaging apps and making their phones ring.”summarizes Salat.

Avast also warns that a trend for the next year is account impersonation on social networks, and expects an increase in malicious activity in general, as open source malware becomes more accessible and cybercriminals recruit “hacktivists” to join their causes.

For the company DXC Technology, one of the cybersecurity trends is artificial intelligence: both cybercriminals and cybersecurity professionals will use it in an increasingly sophisticated battle of wits.

And also the metaverse. 2023 is going to be an important year for this one, with Meta, Microsoft, Virbela and others betting on the generalization of virtual worlds.

However, activity in the metaverse can raise legitimacy issues: how do you know if the person you think you’re talking to is who they say they are? DXC asks. Blockchain-based digital certificates will help secure virtual transactions in the metaverse.