Our security predictions for 2019 are based on our experts’ analysis of the progress of current and emerging technologies, user behavior, and market trends, and their impact on the threat landscape. We have categorized them according to the main areas that are likely to be affected, given the sprawling nature of the technological and sociopolitical changes under consideration.

We discovered several beauty camera apps (detected as AndroidOS_BadCamera.HRX) on Google Play that are capable of accessing remote ad configuration servers that can be used for malicious purposes. Some of these have already been downloaded millions of times, which is unsurprising given the popularity of these kinds of apps. A large number of the download counts originated from Asia — particularly in India.

As manufacturing companies continue to adopt Industry 4.0, many environments could still be falling short on security with outdated systems, unpatched vulnerabilities, and unsecure files that leave them vulnerable to attacks.

We uncovered an updated Bashlite malware designed to add infected internet-of-things devices to a distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) botnet. Based on the Metasploit module it exploits, the malware targets devices with the WeMo Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) application programming interface (API).

As of 2018, global losses to BEC have exceeded US$12 billion. To keep abreast of the landscape that scammers are operating in, we look back on some of the noteworthy incidents and trends that made BEC a headline staple this year.