Social media, AI

New loopholes in companies for cyber attacks

Hackers are now also using imitation voices and other tricks to sneak in.

(Bild: leestat - stock.adobe.com)

Anyone who hoped that the wave of cybercrime would subside is wrong. Quite the opposite: "The methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated," warns expert Martin Heimhilcher from the Chamber of Commerce. This knowledge is also being traded in relevant circles. Under the motto: "Watch out, these 15 companies have this loophole."

After the "usual" extraction of data, there are already new "gateways" for cybercrime thanks to modern production facilities and machines in companies that are networked via the internet. The increasingly "smarter" machines, which virtually control themselves or are connected to others via an internet network and exchange information (e.g. whether a service is needed soon), are also becoming more vulnerable to data thieves thanks to high-tech.

In Las Vegas, for example, cyber criminals gained access to a company's data on the temperature monitoring of the aquarium. They then used this to crack the casino software.

Cyber expert Martin Heimhilcher (WKO): "Password as a barrier."

(Bild: Gerhard Bartel)

The next threat is artificial intelligence. For example, fake phone calls from the boss, whose voice is imitated. Martin Heimhilcher: "A five-second sample is enough to imitate a voice. What can you do about it? One possible barrier is the good old password."

And caution is advised when establishing friendly contacts via social media. Heimhilcher: "Emotional ties can then lead to internal data being divulged. Employees are often not even aware of the benefits the questioners derive from this information."

As cyberattacks are on the increase, the only thing that can help is software or regular training and internal security checks. Insurance against the damage caused by cybercrime (e.g. preventing invoices from being sent) is also becoming increasingly important.