The number of cyber incidents doubled in 2017
A report by the Online Trust Alliance says that the number of reported cyber incidents, from ransomware attacks to e-mail hacks, doubled to 159,700 last year.
An underestimate: The group points out that many cyberattacks go unreported, and it suggests that the true number “could easily exceed 350,000.”
The biggest threat: Ransomware, like WannaCry and NotPetya, “far outweighs” other attacks, says OTA.
More to come: You can expect surreptitious cryptocurrency mining to join ransomware as a big threat this year. But OTA also says that cloud services and IoT hardware still aren’t secure enough.
What to do: OTA says that 93 percent of attacks reported were avoidable. “Equipping [users] to make good decisions can go a long way toward securing systems,” it adds.
Deep Dive
Computing
Inside the hunt for new physics at the world’s largest particle collider
The Large Hadron Collider hasn’t seen any new particles since the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. Here’s what researchers are trying to do about it.
How ASML took over the chipmaking chessboard
MIT Technology Review sat down with outgoing CTO Martin van den Brink to talk about the company’s rise to dominance and the life and death of Moore’s Law.
How Wi-Fi sensing became usable tech
After a decade of obscurity, the technology is being used to track people’s movements.
Algorithms are everywhere
Three new books warn against turning into the person the algorithm thinks you are.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.