Experian Forecasts Top 5 Hacking Targets for 2019

Biometric hacking and cloud attacks are among top cyberthreats for 2019 according Experian in its sixth annual Data Breach Industry Forecast, which includes predictions of the top five cyberthreats facing businesses.

All organizations and individuals are under siege from cyberattacks. “Hackers have become very nimble at outsmarting protection measures. Cybercriminals always seem to stay a step ahead of new security gates,” Michael Bruemmer, vice president of data breach resolution at Costa Mesa-based Experian.

Experian’s five data breach predictions for 2019:

1. Attackers will zero in on biometric hacking and expose vulnerabilities in touch ID sensors, facial recognition and passcodes. Biometric data is considered the most secure method of authentication, but it can be stolen or altered, and sensors can be manipulated and spoofed or deteriorate with too much use.
2. Skimming is the next frontier for an enterprisewide attack on a major financial institution’s national network, which could result in millions of losses. Credit card skimmers are hidden devices designed to steal card information and passcodes. Criminals are now going after financial institution networks — moving beyond attacking individual ATMs by loading malware into entire computer systems.
3. A major wireless carrier will be attacked with a simultaneous effect on both iPhones and Android, stealing personal information from millions of consumers and possibly disabling all wireless communications in the United States. Similar to an attack on critical infrastructure, a serious disruption to a wireless network would halt the nation.
4. It’s a matter of when, not if, a top cloud vendor will suffer a breach, compromising the sensitive information of major companies. The only question is how long it will take hackers to go to the cloud, affecting the world’s largest companies and potentially billions of pieces of data.
5. The online gaming community will be an emerging hacker target, with cybercriminals posing as gamers and gaining access to the computers and personal data of trusting players. A cybercriminal can easily pose as a gamer or take over an avatar to infiltrate games and communities, stealing personal and credit card information and valuable game pieces and tokens.