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What are the biggest cybersecurity threats that exist right now (2019)? originally appeared on Quora: the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
Answer by Josh Koenig, Co-founder and Head of Product at Pantheon, on Quora:
I’m less worried about a specific technology or exploit, and more concerned at the rate of automated and indiscriminate attacks occurring across all surfaces at all times. The background threat level on the internet is only getting worse. Compromised systems are quickly re-purposed to compromise more systems, with no end in sight. It’s reminiscent of a zombie apocalypse out there.
I also think that the rise of bitcoin (and others) is an important change, especially as BTC has rebounded in value. It used to be that you had to intercept some information or deliver some kind of payload to get value from a compromised system. Today, any hijacked CPU can be directly turned to financial gain, which is only fueling the zombie dynamic.
Ultimately this has detrimental effects for the Open Web because it drives up the risk (and thus the cost) of maintaining independent sites. To continue with the metaphor, a world where zombies are running rampant is one where “walled gardens” looks more and more attractive.
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