The hype around the Ordinals project and the launch of the bitcoin ETF could potentially provoke a new wave of hacker attacks, according to a recent Europol report on current cyber threats in the EU.
🚨In 2023, millions of victims across the EU were attacked and exploited online on a daily basis.
📍Today, Europol published the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) on:
🔴Key developments, changes & emerging threats in cybercrime.
More⤵️https://t.co/kTPaDMkHaV
According to the agency, the creation of NFT and the placement of other types of data in the bitcoin blockchain is a potential source of cyber threats, despite the technical complexity of the process.
The current and widely publicized topic of ETF approval is also able to attract the attention of intruders in order to steal funds from gullible users.
The issuers of ETFs themselves can also be attacked, since they will store large reserves in cryptocurrencies.
Europol expressed concern that the development of blockchain, DeFi technologies and P2P networks will provide hackers with ample opportunities to make anonymous transactions bypassing government control.
The report focuses on AI-based tools that will improve criminal methods and scenarios, including for hacking cryptocurrency exchanges and protocols.
Among other threats:
the growth of phishing advertising due to the lack of fast filtering in part of the LLM;The use of AI in crime-as-a-service products;distribution of fake CSAM files;deepfakes."AI tools will lower the entry barrier for cybercrime, which means that people with limited technical knowledge will be able to carry out cyber attacks and organize quite complex online fraud schemes," Europol noted.
Recall that last year, one of the pioneers of the industry, Jeffrey Hinton, warned about the potential threats associated with AI.
Prior to that, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that technology poses an "existential risk" that could cause many people to "suffer or die."