Smartphones will become one of the main targets of cybercriminals in 2019

• S2 Grupo explained that the main causes are that they have become one of the most used tools to carry out operations in cyberspace and it uses numerous keys to confirm operations.
• The team from the company’s Malware Laboratory highlighted that, along with this, a higher level of economic cybercrime, cyber espionage and the control systems of industrial environments, as well as cyber-attacks to hardware, are also expected.
• This year’s main cyber risks will be more sophisticated and damaging to victims, both physically and reputationally.

  Valencia, January 17, 2019.- The company S2 Grupo has highlighted that the cybersecurity sector will be marked in 2019 by an increase in cyber-attacks on smartphones, hardware (machinery, printers, etc.) and control systems in industrial environments, especially in the health sector. Alongside this, a higher level of economic cybercrime and cyber espionage are also expected. Experts from the company have indicated that, because the mobile phone is one of the most widely used tools for conducting operations in cyberspace and is a large container of confidential information and receives keys to confirm many personal and professional operations, it will become one of the main focuses of attention for cyber attackers. "For all these reasons, it is foreseeable that smartphones will become a target for cybercriminals and that applications infected with Trojans proliferate in different stores," said José Rosell, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. "Another major trend will be the attack on hardware. The area that can be invaded by cybercriminals has been gradually enlarged and, in this sense, it is moving from what we can call cyberspace to the cyber-physical sphere, that is, to all physical systems and devices that work with a connection to the Internet ", explained Miguel A. Juan, managing-partner of S2 Grupo. Experts from the company's Malware Laboratory have highlighted that, in this area, the consequences can be especially serious in the case of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructures and essential services, such as hospitals, large industries, nuclear power plants, power plants, etc. In this sense, it is expected that sectors such as the industrial sector or the health system may be especially compromised or vulnerable to the action of cyber attackers. In addition, S2 Grupo has pointed out that we must not forget that homes are increasingly more digitized, which together with a poor configuration of cybersecurity, turn households into places more vulnerable to cybercrime than professionals. They have also stressed that the tendency is to use increasingly "discreet" infection and attack routes with greater camouflage capacity, such as advanced persistent threats, which could have a greater impact on victims, both physically and reputationally, as it takes longer to detect them. More information: prensa@s2grupo.es