Leaders at Davos in early 2023 predicted a “catastrophic” global cyber attack to occur within the next two years.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023 report showed that 86% of business leaders and 93% of cyber leaders believe a global cyber attack is imminent.
“This far exceeds anything that we’ve seen in previous surveys,” said Managing Director Jeremy Jurgens.
“If cyber threats continue without mitigation, governments will continue to retaliate against perpetrators (actual or perceived), leading to open cyberwarfare, further disruption for societies, and loss of trust in government’s ability to act as digital stewards,” the report says.
If these predictions turn out to be accurate, it implies that authorities would not require concrete evidence of the responsible party before taking retaliatory measures. Instead, retaliation would be triggered by the mere perception of an existing culprit.
“I would anticipate that when we do see this next crisis, it will be faster than what we’ve seen with [the disease outbreak],” Jurgens stated. “The exponential growth rate will be much steeper, the impact will be greater, and as a result, the economic and social implications will be even more significant.”
Now, the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) in Italy warns organizations to take protective measures against a widespread ransomware hacking attack that has targeted thousands of computer servers globally, according to Reuters.
ACN issued the warning on Sunday to raise awareness and urge organizations to take action to secure their systems.
The Director General of ACN, Roberto Baldoni, stated that the hacking attack aimed to take advantage of a software vulnerability and was executed on a large scale.
According to ANSA, the attack affected servers in multiple countries including France, Finland, the United States, and Canada.
In addition, Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) customers experienced internet disruptions earlier on Sunday.
The motive behind the hacking attack remains unclear.
However, some people speculate that there might be more to the story. Disruptions in internet connectivity and tampering with vital cyber systems could lead to widespread disconnection and vulnerability, potentially giving those in power an opportunity to increase their control.
