Cyber Attacks Increase Stress Hormone Levels

Individuals exposed to a simulated cyber-terror attack had significantly increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva compared to a control group, shows a new study.

Following the cyber attack, study participants were more likely to fear an imminent cyber threat and to express feelings of personal insecurity, according to results published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website March 10, 2017.

Rise In Cyber Attacks In Healthcare Industry For Higher Returns :Raytheon-Websense Report
The rapid digitization of the healthcare industry combined with the value of the data at hand, has lead to a massive increase in the number of targeted attacks.

‘Teaching disaster preparedness for cyber events, as is done for real world events, may help mitigate some of the fear and anxiety.’

Tweet it Now

A team of Israeli researchers designed a study to investigate the psychological effects of cyber terror. In the article entitled, "How Cyber-Attacks Terrorize: Cortisol and Personal Insecurity Jump in the Wake of Cyber Attacks," Daphna Canetti, Michael Gross, Israel Waismel-Manor, and Asaf Levanon, University of Haifa, and Hagit Cohen, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, examine the potential damaging effects of cyber terror, even though its victims suffer no direct bodily harm.

"Cyber attacks can increase both psychological and physiological stress in individuals. Teaching disaster preparedness for cyber events, as is done for real world events, may help mitigate some of this fear and anxiety," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

Source-Eurekalert

Cyber Attacks on Medical Devices, a New Problem
US authorities warn hospital networks and makers of medical gadgets against cyber attacks and encourage them to make efforts to guard against these attacks

A Malicious Attack may Easily Hijack Remotely-Controlled Operations in the Future
Engineers demonstrated that the next generation robots using non-private networks can be easily disrupted or derailed by common forms of cyber attacks.

No Full-proof Security Measures to Prevent Cyber Crimes
There are no possible solutions to ensure full-proof security and prevent future cyber attacks.