Apologies in advance, but 2018 will probably be every bit as crummy as 2017. That’s the glum, but probably realistic, forecast of a report put out by McAfee Labs Wednesday morning.
In its report, the firm which was spun off by Intel (INTC) in April, expects continued risks from malware authors, phishing attackers, ransomware scams and even, perhaps, the companies selling smart home devices.
On the bright-ish side, McAfee’s report isn’t calling for a rise in attacks on newer online defenses like two-step verification or biometric unlocking for your mobile devices. Instead, we’re in store for more of the same annoyances.
Hackers aren’t the only ones that might be targeting you this year. (Image: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)
Machine learning can make the bad guys more efficient too
McAfee’s report leads off by predicting that the same artificial-intelligence techniques used to guess what you want to read or buy will soon be pointed at you for offensive purposes.
For example, it suggests that machine learning could strengthen “social engineering” attacks that prey on people’s inclination to trust something that they think comes from a friend.
“We expect to see more advancements in the use of machine learning and analytics by attackers to accelerate and sharpen social engineering attacks — phishing, fraud, spyware, and scams — across more industry sectors than they can do today using manual reconnaissance techniques,” said McAfee Labs vice president Vincent Weafer.
But it’s not a one-sided fight. The companies trying to defend you online are using techniques to keep your data safe. Facebook (FB), for instance, already runs every login through a bunch of machine-learning algorithms to see if it falls outside your usual habits.
In its report, the firm which was spun off by Intel (INTC) in April, expects continued risks from malware authors, phishing attackers, ransomware scams and even, perhaps, the companies selling smart home devices.
On the bright-ish side, McAfee’s report isn’t calling for a rise in attacks on newer online defenses like two-step verification or biometric unlocking for your mobile devices. Instead, we’re in store for more of the same annoyances.
Hackers aren’t the only ones that might be targeting you this year. (Image: U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout)
Machine learning can make the bad guys more efficient too
McAfee’s report leads off by predicting that the same artificial-intelligence techniques used to guess what you want to read or buy will soon be pointed at you for offensive purposes.
For example, it suggests that machine learning could strengthen “social engineering” attacks that prey on people’s inclination to trust something that they think comes from a friend.
“We expect to see more advancements in the use of machine learning and analytics by attackers to accelerate and sharpen social engineering attacks — phishing, fraud, spyware, and scams — across more industry sectors than they can do today using manual reconnaissance techniques,” said McAfee Labs vice president Vincent Weafer.
But it’s not a one-sided fight. The companies trying to defend you online are using techniques to keep your data safe. Facebook (FB), for instance, already runs every login through a bunch of machine-learning algorithms to see if it falls outside your usual habits.
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