As Donald Trump and the word ‘Idiot’ are currently trending the most on Google search engine, Cybersecurity Insiders brings to you the most searched keywords related to Cybersecurity which trended on Google in 2018.
Cyptojacking- The word started to lead the trending list from May 2018 and is still said to be buzzing on the list. In simple terms, the word means unauthorized use of one’s computing device (Tablet, PC, Laptop, and Smartphone) to mine Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoins, Monero or Dash. It’s done by inducing a hidden code which then starts benefiting 3rd parties.
Skimming- When hackers track down the numbers on a credit card and then transfer them to a duplicate card to carry out various fraudulent online purchases & transactions it is called Skimming. From Feb this year, the term was picked up in Google trends and it topped the list before the start of the holiday season this year.
Botnets- When internet-connected devices like CCTV, Smart TVs are taken over by hackers through malicious codes and used to launch cyber attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service, those devices are called Botnets. In simple terms, these devices act as launch platforms for cyber crooks to send spam and when in the network can inflict massive damage. The term started to buzz on Google since March 2018 and is still seen trending once or twice a month on the top.
DDoS- Distributed Denial of Service is a form of using fake internet traffic to jam the servers offering web services and thus preventing regular traffic from arriving at their desired destination. The said variant of cyber attack is of different types and hit the Google search engine deck in March’18 when US Based Arbor Networks fell victim to the largest DDoS attack in the history with a reaching peak of 1.7 Terabytes per second.
Ransomware- Although the said word is buzzing on Google from the past two years, it reached the peak in Google Trends in May 2016 when UK’s NHS and over 250,000 computers across the world were hit by WannaCry Ransomware. This year, the word has topped the Web search list as the term searched by more people in US, UK, and Australia. In this cyber attack variant, hackers are seen locking down a computer from access until a ransom is paid to them in digital currency like Bitcoins. As the most common method of spreading ransomware is through Phishing spam, the next word in this list happens to be the same.
Phishing Attacks- Phishing attacks are a type of social engineering attack often used to siphon off critical user data such as passwords, credit card numbers and other login credentials. It happens when a user clicks on a URL link which is entrusted to be sent from a genuine sender. And as soon as the user clicks on the link, the victim’s PC is either loaded with espionage-related malware or is diverted to a website which then locks down the computer from further operations until a ransom is paid.
The Dark Web- This word was most searched on Google web in 2018. It is also referred to as darknet which is an encrypted and anonymous portion of web-accessible only by Tor browser. As the TOR network is anonymous, it also stands out to be most vulnerable to DDoS attacks.
Malware- This word started to top the list of Google trends from Feb this year. It is an actually a software program devised to respond to the commands and downloads of a hacker and can be spread via emails, websites, text messages. Malware has the ability to spy, steal, encrypt or delete sensitive data, alter core functions of a server or PC.
