The year in Cybernetics - 2013

This year may become the year of revelations and rethinking of situations in relation to the information security. New challenges, new trends, new players of cyberspace, what do they look like and what will happen to them next?

Experts at the Kaspersky Labaratory, the world's largest private IT-security company, shares with us the results of the year of cybernetics and their predictions of what will come next.

Wriggling from the Network

Edward Snowden became a hot topic of 2013. In particular, the disclosure of information about Prism, XKeyscore,Tempora and other surveillance programs.

Snowden's image became popular around the world. Source: AP

“Edward Snowden, a person, not a malicious virus was our hero this year,” said Alekzander Gostev, the senior virus analyst at the Kaspersky Laboratory.

“The fact is that spying on the Internet has been known for a long time, but Snowden brought this issue to the next level, and it will influence the activity of users on the network".

Gostev predicts that after Snowden, encryption will go down in fashion again. There will most likely be numerous services that promise to protect users' privacy from prying eyes next year.

Old friends and new heroes

In conjunction with an anonymous offset Center in Asia and the increasing activity of the so-called "Syrian electrical army,” the cyberworld saw new heroes this year - the cybernetics. The new "profession" is about hackers being hired to conduct rapid, targeted attacks.

"The use of cybernetics, including in this case of public spying, is the current trend. We predict that in 2014, cybernetics may try to obtain legal status through the creation of companies that will officially offer cybernetic services," said Sergei Golovanov, a leading analyst with Lab Virus.

The ups and downs of crypt currencies

Laboratory experts believe that next year the most popular among cyber criminals will be to attack exchanges and virtual currency users.

Experts belive, the cost of Bitcoin could rise up to $2,000 to $3,000, after which it will fall. Source: AP

With regard to the latter, in 2014, the financial markets are likely to feel its effects: it is expected that Bitcoin will invest heavily in investors from China and other countries. However, it is possible that users will soon find more reliable alternatives.

“We expect that Bitcoin is waiting for its collapse next year. The cost of Bitcoin could rise up to $2,000 to $3,000, after which it will fall,” said Alexander Gostev.

Viruses are migrating to mobile platforms

This year became the year of maturity of mobile malware, particularly in the sector of Android devices. The world of mobile malware is becoming more like the world personal computers threats in terms of techniques and technologies, and with the impressive development speed in this area being.

The world of mobile malware is becoming more like the world personal computers threats in terms of techniques and technologies. Source: AP

Mobile botnets are a network of bot appliances, and for cyber criminals these became more than just a playground and are actively being used for making money.

The laboratory estimates about 60 percent of mobile malware are made up of items of big and small mobile botnets. In the year 2014, experts predict that mobile botnets will be sold, which are to become actively used in propagating malicious third-party applications.

Does the Internet fall apart?

Lab experts have suggested that in the calendar year 2014 will be a year for restoring the trust that was lost after massive disclosures of a spyware attack, either directly or indirectly related to the activities of the United States.

Cybercriminals have gone beyond words and created its own Darknet. Foto: Alamy/Legion Media

The result of these disclosures became the genesis of the idea of creating their own unique global service, but within the borders of individual states.

Many experts, such as Eugene Kaspersky, said there was a need to create a parallel "secure Internet" without the possibility of anonymous criminal acts in it in the past year. At the same time, Cybercriminals have gone beyond words and created its own Darknet.

The fragmentation process of the Internet on national segments started at the same time. This was only in China until recently but it has not been alone in an effort to control a large portion of their resources.

A number of countries, including Russia, have already adopted or are about to adopt laws prohibiting the use of foreign services.

"We can soon be without Internet but with dozens of national networks with further development of such trends. The shadow of the Darknet will be the only national network,” said Sergey Novikov, the head of the Kaspersky Russian Research Lab Center.

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