E-Business
10 Cyber Security Trends to Watch in 2019
Biometric hacking, an increase in phishing attacks and sophisticated use of artificial intelligence (AI) are among the top cyber security threats to be expected in 2019, as attackers stop at nothing to steal identities and evade detection through new techniques.
- Attacks through theft of biometric data
While several major leaks of biometric data have already occurred globally, the Middle East and Africa regions could see the first attacks in the theft and use of biometric data in 2019, according to Kaspersky Lab.
“As more biometric systems for user identification and authentication are being implemented by various financial institutions in META (Middle East, Turkey and Africa), 2019 will see criminals exposing vulnerabilities in passcodes, touch ID sensors and facial recognition,” says Fabio Assolini, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
“While many financial organisations consider these emerging biometric-based solutions to improve security over current authentication methods, biometric data will increasingly be used to steal sensitive information.”
- AI and machine learning make attacks harder to detect
Manuel Corregedor, COO at Telspace Systems, says 2019 will see more advanced exploitation of AI to carry out and conceal new exploits.
“I believe we will see an increase in attackers utilising AI and machine learning as a means to make their attacks more difficult to detect or prevent,” says Corregedor.
However, AI will also change the way the industry deals with threats.
Brian Pinnock, cyber security specialist at Mimecast, says AI and machine learning will play a more prominent role as the velocity and variety of attacks makes conventional approaches – such as blacklists – outdated and ill-equipped to deal with modern cyber threats.
“Organisations will realise the importance of threat intelligence and will focus on the need for an ‘intelligence function’ to identify threats,” says Pinnock.
- Phishing scams to soar
As e-mail attacks grow more frequent and complex, more organisations will be left scrambling for new ways to reduce risk and better detect and remediate threats in 2019.
Pinnock says throughout 2019, the most insidious development won’t be new attack types, but, rather, improved execution of existing attack types, especially those delivered via e-mail.
“Phishing techniques like the use of homoglyphs, elongated URLs, legitimate certifications (green lock), and credetial-harvesting sites will increase. Flawless phishes will continue to prey on the gap in human firewalls, pivoting internally around organisations and intensifying efforts to better educate all staff.”
Dr Jabu Mtsweni, research group leader for cyber defence at the Council for Industrial and Scientific Research (CSIR), points out that phishing scams are still quite popular as cyber security awareness remains low.
“Denial-of-service attacks on government Web sites were also popular in 2018. This includes injection of malware on government Web sites that remain undetected. In 2019, malicious e-mail and links will continue to be used by criminals to get access to organisations’ networks.”
- Fake videos bring a new era of fake news
UK-based innovation foundation Nesta forecasts that 2019 will see a new level of malicious posts on social media as fake videos set the next stage in fake news.
Lifelike computer-generated graphics – appearing to show video footage of events that never really happened – will be used to mislead the public.
“We predict that within the next 12 months, the world will see the release of highly authentic-looking malicious fake videos, which could cause substantial damage to diplomatic relations between countries,” says Nesta. “Deepfakes, a new AI-based technology that makes it possible to create fake videos of individuals nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, will make this possible.”
The innovation foundation believes that Deepfakes have the potential to spark a geo-political incident if a politician or celebrity is maliciously impersonated.
- Improved execution of existing attack types
In 2018, cyber attacks and data breaches continued to increase in both frequency and intensity, and organisations can expect more of the same in 2019, according to experts.
Corregedor points out that the biggest cyber security event of 2018 is probably just the sheer number of data breaches that have occurred across industry sectors, some utilising advanced attacks, others as a result of mistakes made by the affected organisations.
Over 4.5 billion data records were compromised worldwide in the first half of 2018, according to Gemalto’s latest Breach Level Index.
Pinnock points out that better social engineering, increases in credential stuffing attacks, and more complicated malware with multiple stages and different form factors for transmission will make threats incredibly tricky to detect in 2019.
“With global cyber crime organisations growing in maturity and sophistication, many are now acquiring capabilities that were once the sole reserve of nation states,” notes Pinnock
“We’re likely to see these cyber criminals use stolen credentials from the past few years’ data breaches to compromise the security of even the most secure organisations. Even companies with good cyber protection have little protection against the reuse of passwords that have been collected in other breaches.”
- Slight decrease in crypto currency attacks
According to Kaspersky Lab, 2018 saw a rise in the malicious use of crypto currency miners, with virus attacks and malicious software against crypto miners growing almost fourfold.
Kaspersky predicts that crypto currencies as a means of payment will decline further in 2019, and this trend is expected to lead to a slight decline in crypto currency threats.
“In the face of huge commissions, slow transfers, a large price for integration, and, most importantly, a small number of customers, the use of crypto currency as a method of payment has declined steadily from 2017 and will continue to decline in 2019.”
However, those crypto currency threats that do occur will be focused on mining malware, with the intervention of new players and the continuation of the use of ransomware.
“In 2018, the META region became more appealing to cyber criminals, with financial and malicious crypto mining attacks taking centre stage,” notes Assolini.
“Illegal mining of crypto currencies increased dramatically to overtake the main threat of the last few years – ransomware. We believe the reason for this is that mining is silent and causes less impact that ransomware, making it less noticeable.”
- Mobile, in-the-app malware
While malware that runs on the Windows operating system vastly outnumbers malware for any other platform, users of mobile devices are increasingly subject to malicious activity that pushes malware apps to their phones, tablets, or other devices running Android and iOS, according to computer network security company Sophos’ 2019 Threat Report.
For some time, malicious versions of popular apps were predominantly found on third-party app stores. These can be sketchy places, hosting pirated and/or trojaned versions of legitimate apps, notes the report.
Unusual malicious campaigns affecting the Android platform – phishing-in-the-app – can be expected in 2019, warns Sophos.
“In 2018, we discovered one way that criminals can bypass the Play Market’s source code checks was by not including anything malicious in the app itself, but rather by making an app that, in essence, is a browser window to a phishing site. The apps, in this case, were designed in tandem with the phishing site so the user had a seamless experience,” notes the report.
- 5G deployments to fuel threats
A number of 5G network infrastructure deployments kicked off this year, and 2019 is expected to be a year of accelerating 5G activity. While it will take time for 5G networks and 5G-capable phones and other devices to become broadly deployed, experts predict growth will occur rapidly.
According to Symantec’s Cyber Security Predictions: 2019 and Beyond, growing 5G deployments and adoption will expand the cyber-attacks surface area.
“As a stepping stone to broad deployment of 5G cellular networks, some carriers are offering fixed 5G mobile hotspots and 5G-equipped routers for homes. Given the peak data rate of 5G networks is 10 Gbps, the shift to 5G will catalyse new operational models, new architectures, and, consequently, new vulnerabilities.
“Over time, more 5G IoT devices will connect directly to the 5G network rather than via a WiFi router. This trend will make those devices more vulnerable to direct attack.”
- IIoT attacks not slowing down
Industrial IoT (IIoT) attacks through cloud infrastructure and over-reliance on AI in cyber security systems are two critical risks for enterprises in 2019, according to Forcepoint’s 2019 Cyber security Predictions Report.
“In 2019, attackers will break into industrial IoT devices by attacking the underlying cloud infrastructure. This target is more desirable for an attacker – access to the underlying systems of these multi-tenanted, multi-customer environments represents a much bigger payday.”
Three elements expected to play a significant role in the increase of IIoT attacks, according to the report, are: increasing network connectivity to edge computing; the difficulty in securing devices as more compute moves out to the edge; and the exponential number of devices connecting to the cloud for updates and maintenance.
- The rise of SaaS
Gilad Peleg, CEO of cyber security firm SecBI, predicts that in 2019, the model of enterprise software deployed on-premises will gradually disappear as it’s replaced by Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).
Many of the resources once in the hands of corporates, like the database, e-mail server, ERP, CRM and others, will all move to the cloud, leaving enterprises vulnerable, he observes.
“SaaS’ greatest advantage is also its greatest weakness. With SaaS, you need much less IT. This is a benefit at first glance, but upon inspection, it becomes a problem – you don’t control the access, or the data. Therefore, you don’t know you were hacked, nor do you have the tools to know,” notes Peleg.
“The security implications here are that organisations will cease to have visibility into the perimeter and all the perimeter’s defences. As enterprises acknowledge, they are left blind by this change, and will thus need new visibility solutions.”
Kaspersky has reported a spike in phishing emails containing malicious QR codes. Detections for these jumped from 46,969 in August 2025 to 249,723 in November 2025 – a more than fivefold growth – as cybercriminals increasingly exploit QR codes, a trend that will likely continue in 2026.
Attackers use QR codes in emails more frequently because they provide a simple and cost-effective way to conceal malicious URLs, evading detection by many protective solutions.
These QR codes are often embedded directly in email bodies or, even more commonly, within PDF attachments – an evolution that both masks phishing links and encourages users to scan them on mobile phones, which may have weaker security than work PCs.
Malicious QR codes commonly appear in mass phishing campaigns as well as targeted ones. Links embedded within them may lead to:
- Phishing forms impersonating login pages for services like Microsoft accounts or internal corporate portals, designed to steal usernames, passwords, and other credentials.
- Fake HR notifications urging employees to review or sign documents, such as vacation schedules, or even view lists of terminated staff, ultimately directing to credential-stealing sites.
- Fraudulent invoices or purchase confirmations in PDF attachments, often combined with vishing (voice phishing) tactics that prompt victims to call provided phone numbers to “cancel” or clarify the transaction, enabling further social engineering attacks.
These tactics exploit trust in routine business communications, leading to credential theft, account takeovers, data breaches, and financial fraud.
“Malicious QR codes have evolved into one of the most effective phishing tools, particularly when hidden in PDF attachments or disguised as legitimate business communications like HR updates.
“The explosive growth in November 2025 highlights how attackers are capitalising on this low-cost evasion technique to target employees on mobile devices, where protection is often minimal.
“Without advanced image analysis at the email gateway and safe scanning practices, organisations are left vulnerable to credential compromise and downstream breaches,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.
To defend against this escalating threat, Kaspersky recommends educating employees on cybersecurity and deploying a mail server security solution such as Kaspersky Security for Mail Server that provides trusted and secure corporate email exchange, countering spam, email-borne infections, all forms of phishing, business email compromise (BEC), QR code attacks, and other threats.
As the world markets continue into a new cycle that sees them plunging into much trouble and uncertainty, the year 2026 beckons to be one that is ridden with high uncertainty and volatility in terms of geopolitical and macroeconomic trends. Although the year may pose various threats to traders, it also comes along with unparalleled opportunities that may be leveraged to achieve trading success through various trading assets set to display notable volatility trends in the year 2026.
JustMarkets
From long-term fundamentals to trading dynamics, these five key assets on JustMarkets are set to continue to be at the forefront in trading in 2026.
1. Gold (XAU/USD): The Ultimate Macro-Driven Asset
The gold price in 2025 reached $4,500 per troy ounce, and it continues to be one of the most traded assets world-wide. Gold is extremely sensitive to changes in the levels of inflation, interest rate forecasts, geopolitical events, and currency exchange rate movements. The recent years have shown the ability of the gold market to provide an extremely strong bullish momentum, as well as intraday momentum.
The relevance of the market of gold in the year 2026 specifically stems from the fact that the environment surrounding the economy of the world is facing challenges associated with growth, debt, and the policies of monetary easing. Despite the falling inflation rate in the economy, the real interest rates are also expected to be pressured downward, which has traditionally translated to favorable market conditions for the price of gold. The factor of geopolitics uncertainty and tensions between specific countries also adds to the significance of the market of gold.
For traders, the market offers favorable conditions because of its high volatility regime with adequate liquidity.
2. Silver (XAG/USD): Volatility with a Dual Personality
Silver often overshadows gold, but its performance in 2025 significantly outperformed its main competitor. The precious metal briefly reached $85, making it one of the best-performing assets in 2025. While silver, like gold, is sensitive to monetary policy and market sentiment, it also enjoys strong industrial demand related to energy transition technologies, electronics, and manufacturing.
This dual nature makes silver one of the most volatile and fastest-growing precious metals and trading instruments overall. In 2026, as global growth expectations fluctuate and industrial cycles remain uneven, silver will experience sharp directional movements and prolonged periods of volatility, but will fundamentally maintain a growth trend similar to gold.
For traders seeking high volatility, silver offers even greater percentage swings than gold, making it a powerful tool for well-managed strategies, both scalping and holding positions for multiple days.
3. Oil (WTI & Brent): Trading Supply, Politics, and Policy
Oil is still among the market-sensitive commodities. The change in OPEC+ production levels, global events affecting major oil-producing nations, as well as changes in global demand can cause prices to surge within a matter of hours.
Turning the focus on the outlook for the year 2026, it seems likely that the oil market will face well-supplied conditions. However, this will not mean extremely small degrees of volatility. Events surrounding Venezuela represent yet another key source of uncertainty. Changes within US policies regarding Venezuela, the export of oil, and the political leadership of the country could represent important influences on the levels of supply, especially when the focus shifts towards the heavier grades. Yet, the possibility of a substantial recovery looks very unlikely.
Even in highly saturated markets, surprise disruptions, production policy changes, or geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, can cause sharp price moves. Conversely, macroeconomic growth slowdowns or money market cycles may exert pressures on demands, thereby leading to highly two-sided markets.
4. US Stock Indices (Dow 30, S&P 500, Nasdaq): Liquidity and Trend Potential
US indices continue to be key trading assets in global trading activity. The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq reflect US economic performance, as well as global risk appetite, capital flows, and technological leadership, primarily driven by the AI boom.
In 2026, stock markets are likely to face divergent forces. On the one hand, monetary easing is supporting valuations, while slowing economic growth, declining interest in AI, and political uncertainty are increasing volatility and the risk of a deeper sell-off. This combination often leads to strong moves, deep corrections, and renewed all-time highs.
Indices offer unrivaled liquidity, clear technical behavior, and the ability to express macroeconomic views without the risk associated with individual stocks, making them important tools for both short-term and position traders.
5. EUR/USD: The World’s Most Traded Currency Pair
EUR/USD remains the benchmark for forex trading. Its deep liquidity, tight spreads, and technical clarity make it a favorite among professional traders. More importantly, the euro reflects the balance between the world’s two most influential central banks: the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.
As interest rate differentials narrow and fiscal dynamics shift on both sides of the Atlantic, there’s every reason to believe EUR/USD will experience prolonged and powerful trending phases, punctuated by strong reactions to economic data and central bank signals.
In 2026, shifts in growth expectations, inflation trajectories, and political developments in both regions will keep this pair highly active, making EUR/USD a preferred option for traders who value stability, transparency, and adaptability across all trading styles.
Perfect Assets to Trade in 2026
These five markets unite their relevance on a global stage, and the responsiveness of these markets to macroeconomic and geopolitical events. Markets traded in gold, silver, oil, US indices, and the currency pair EUR/USD include the combination of markets most traders seek: deep liquidity, clear structure, and meaningful volatility.
On the JustMarkets trading platform, these instruments excel because of the optimal trading conditions offered, ensuring effective active trading. Tight spreads, fast execution of orders, as well as high leverage of up to 3000, enable traders to react swiftly to key market drivers, such as central bank statements or inflation figures, as well as geopolitical events.
Kaspersky has detected a scam tactic leveraging the OpenAI platform. Attackers are abusing OpenAI’s organisation creation and team invitation features to send spam emails from legitimate OpenAI addresses, potentially tricking users into clicking scam links or calling fraudulent phone numbers.
The spam campaign begins with attackers registering an account on the OpenAI platform. During registration, users are prompted to enter an organisation name, which can consist of any combination of symbols. Scammers exploit this by embedding deceptive text and fraudulent links or phone numbers directly into the field for organisation name itself.
Once the “organisation” is created, OpenAI provides an option to “invite your team,” allowing the input of target email addresses of victims. When invitations are sent, they originate from OpenAI’s address, making them appear fully legitimate from a technical standpoint.
Kaspersky detected several types of messages containing email threats sent in such a way. These are scam emails that promote fraudulent offers, such as adult services. Another attack angle is vishing – false notifications claiming a subscription has been renewed for a large sum: attackers instruct recipients to call a provided phone number to “cancel” the charge or take other actions that lead to further compromise. There may also be other email threats spreading via OpenAI platform.
The text that the attackers want the victims to read (highlighted in bold in the email template) is structurally inconsistent with the rest of the email template – which was originally designed to invite project collaborators. But the attackers bet on the fact that the victims would not pay attention.
“This case highlights a vulnerability in how platform features can be weaponised for social engineering email attacks. By embedding deceptive elements in seemingly innocuous fields like organisation names, scammers attempt to bypass traditional email filters and exploit user trust in reputable services.
“We urge all users to verify invitations carefully and avoid clicking embedded links without scrutiny. We also recommend brands to consider whether their online services or platforms could be abused by attackers,” comments Anna Lazaricheva, senior spam analyst at Kaspersky.
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