Public apathy on online security ‘exploited’ by cyber criminals

Cyber criminals are set to demand higher ransoms for breaching company data in 2017, while also exploiting the growing complacency in the general public regarding online security.

That is the prediction of leading Irish information security company, Ward Solutions, which said that ‘ransomware’ attacks and data breaches are set to grow this year, leading to serious repercussions for information security.

Ward Solutions said it expected ‘breach fatigue‘ would set in among the general public.

CEO Pat Larkin said: “The general public is increasingly growing tired of being told their personal data may or may not have leaked into the wrong hands.

"This fatigue offers huge opportunities for cyber criminals as consumers drop their guard. It also places an increased responsibility on organisations to secure and protect all of the customer and third-party data that they collect and handle.”

Mr Larkin said the growing threat of global cyber- terrorism was a threat to world peace.

He said 2017 could see state-sponsored cyber-terrorism escalate to a point that prompts a military response.

“2017 could be the year that sees a country respond to a cyber attack with a show of military force, resulting in the first bullets or missiles flying in response to cyber-terrorism.

"We would hope that governments and security agencies engage in co-ordinated preventative measures so this particular prediction isn’t actually realised,” he said.

He said Ireland needed to be more prepared to the growing threat of cyber attacks, saying that it was imperative that critical infrastructures and assets were protected from these growing threats.

Mr Larkin called on Irish companies to take heed of the impending General Data Protection Regulation legislation, due to come into force in May 2018. The legislation is an EU regulation aimed at securing the personal data of individuals. Non-compliant companies face fines of 4% of worldwide turnover.

He said: “Many Irish organisations have grossly underestimated the workload required to become compliant. When they finally realise the scale of the challenge they will be forced to seek assistance from a limited pool of knowledgeable external resources.”