From a consumer perspective, effective protection of personal data from hackers will be important in the next 12 months, with ransomware and DDoS attacks dominating, according to the National Debt Register Bureau of Economic Information (KRD BIG). New crimes using stolen data are also emerging, and the biggest leak of ALAB Laboratory patient data to date, revealed in November, is just a foretaste of what awaits us in 2024, it stressed.
“A week before the hacking attack was published, we warned that healthcare facilities are on the target of cyber criminals because they have accumulated a huge amount of personal data that is poorly secured. Small businesses and many offices are also affected. We expect the number of attacks on these three groups of personal data controllers to increase next year. What is more, cybercriminals will probably use artificial intelligence when planning their actions. The fight against them will therefore be even more difficult,” said ChronPESEL.pl expert Bartłomiej Drozd.
In 2024, ransomware and DDoS attacks will dominate. The former involves infecting the IT system with malware that encrypts the user’s data, making it impossible to use. In the process, data theft is very common. The second is the sending of multiple requests by infected computers that overload the server of the attacked facility, paralysing its computer system. The aim is to extort a ransom, it pointed out.
KRD also reminded that on 1 June this year, the obligation to check in part of a transaction whether the PESEL of a potential customer has been reserved will come into effect. Such an obligation will be imposed on banks and loan companies, telecom operators or notaries, among others. This is intended to protect people whose data has been stolen from the consequences of its illegal use, but the ChronPESEL.pl website warned against excessive optimism.
“Firstly, the obligation to check the PESEL will only apply to a few cases, strictly defined by the law. In others, therefore, it will not work. Secondly, the reservation of the PESEL is not automatic, each holder of the PESEL must do it himself. This requires a certain proficiency in navigating the digital world, which many people do not have. The experience of previous years shows that the creativity of criminals is very high, which is why new crimes using stolen data are emerging,” Drozd assessed.
Source: KRD and ISBnews
