According to a research conducted by internet security company Eset Ireland, 2014 saw the rise of innovative payment methods, such as bitcoin and Apple Pay, systems which have become increasingly attractive to malware authors interested in financial gain.
In 2014, people witnessed the largest known digital payment attack to date, with a hacker reportedly harvesting more than USD 600,000 in Bitcoins and Dogecoins by using a network of infected machines. Furthermore, several companies, such as Yahoo, Match and AOL were hit by ransomware in 2014.
The study shows that new categories of digital devices are getting connected to the internet, from domestic appliances to home security and climate control. During 2014, there was also evidence of this emerging trend: attacks and proofs of concept were shown attacking several smart TVs, Boxee TV devices, biometric systems on smartphones, routers and also Google glasses.
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