Main safety trends · Cryptosumer

Security is – or at least should be – the essence of cryptocurrency. Born in the midst of a global financial crisis, Bitcoin was conceived as a decentralized currency that would be safe from the manipulations of central banks and dysfunctional governments.

However, while cryptocurrencies are theoretically more secure at a macroeconomic level than fiat currencies (at least according to some samples of Bitcoin), their emergence in recent years has been fraught with mishaps and computer security disasters. 2014 brought the infamous Mt. Gox hack (worth about $ 473 million), while the last few years have seen ransomware, phishing and mining malware become significant threats to merchants and cryptocurrency owners.

And while 2019 will see many crypto-exchanges and platforms become more aware of security, it will bring new threats and challenges to cyber security for industry, such as the accelerated growth of mining malware. But as cybersecurity experts explain to Cryptonews.com, there are a number of things that people and businesses can do to protect themselves.

Crypto-mining and IoT devices

"All the evidence suggests that cyberattacker are increasingly interested in cryptocurrencies," says Raj Samani, chief scientist at the cybersecurity firm McAfee. "In fact, McAfee researchers found that the peak in Bitcoin's value in the fourth quarter of 2017 pushed many players to extend their activities to hijacking the Bitcoin and Monero portfolios – and this appetite for cryptocurrency shows no signs of slowing down Now".

Not only cyber criminals are becoming more interested in cryptography, but also Raj Samani Cryptonews.com Data mining malware will likely remain the number one threat in 2019, with hackers increasingly turning to unprotected devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT).

"In 2019, we expect a growing trend towards criptomining related to IoT devices," he says. "For now, video cameras or VCRs have not typically been used for cryptography because they lack the CPU power of desktops and laptops, but cybercriminals have taken note of the growing volume – and often poor security – of IoT devices and they started to focus on them, taking advantage of thousands of devices to create a mining super-computer. "

In fact, hackers had already begun to focus more on vulnerable IoT devices in the second half of this year.

"IoT's new anti-malware devices have grown 72% in the third quarter of 2018, with total malware growing 203% in the last four quarters," adds Samani. "The new coin counting malware has grown by almost 55%, with total malware growing at an incredible 4,467% over the last four quarters."

Given such an incredible increase and the prospect of even greater growth in 2019, crypto holders and encrypted platforms may feel powerless as they enter another year. However, Samani states that they can reduce risk by taking a joint approach to cybersecurity.

"Regardless of the size of the company, everyone has to do all due diligence, which means ensuring that tools and systems can work together and remove silent security teams, companies that run cryptocurrency must find the right mix of people, processes and technology to effectively protect their assets, detect threats and, when targeted, quickly correct systems to keep cyber-thieves at bay By deploying proactive and integrated IT security systems, organizations can minimize damage and interruptions caused by cyber attacks ".

Hardware wallets

When it comes to hardware portfolios, 2019 will not be much different than its predecessor in terms of devices offered. However, manufacturers say they will do everything to ensure that their products are regularly updated to keep up with new emerging threats.

"As the cryptocurrency industry is evolving rapidly, we are sure there will be […] developments in the coming years ", Marek Palatinus, CEO of SatoshiLabs (and manufacturer of the Trezor hardware portfolio), he explains Cryptonews.com.

"We designed Trezor with this in mind: it's a single-use computer with no weaknesses in which cybercriminals could attack, regardless of the technology they might think of, the keys to the funds are protected in an isolated environment. powerful as possible that you can not break even with the most powerful computers on Earth. "

In other words, the assumption by manufacturers is that the physically insulated and cryptographically secure makeup of hardware portfolios means that they are "future proof" and that there is a great need to revise them radically in the current period. . Nonetheless, Palatinus warns that cold-wall portfolios will still have a potential point of failure, which hackers could increasingly target in the coming year.

"The only point on which hackers can concentrate is the human element – that is, users," he says. "And I do not think this will change very soon."

But while Trezor (and other wallet manufacturers, like ledger is KeepKey) are not necessarily planning major changes in 2019, but at least they will expand the compatibility and functionality of their current line of devices. This will not only mean that cryptographic owners will be able to use them with a wider range of platforms, but will also have the effect of creating a broader cryptographic environment in general.

"We are working on Lightning Network and Liquid support in Trezor," says Palatinus. "In addition, we are working to enable the use of SD cards with Trezor Model T to protect our users' encrypted passwords and files, and security innovations are coming for those who want more: the distribution of seeds recovery for greater security of funds ".