‘Living Nostradamus’ warns more cyber attacks to ‘sabotage global communication’ are due to occur – resulting in large scale blackouts
A man dubbed the ‘living Nostradamus’ has warned of more cyber attacks, leading to widespread blackouts across the world.
The 36-year-old Athos Salomé from Brazil is often called a psychic because of the accuracy of his insights and predictions. Previously, he predicted the Microsoft outage in April, the corona pandemic and even the death of Queen Elizabeth.
In an exclusive interview with FEMAIL, Salomé found that numerous cyber attacks are being planned by Advanced Persistent Threat Groups (APTs).
He said: ‘As we can see, these movements are a sign that specific attacks are coming that will lead to large-scale power outages and service disruption.
‘Another group targets the network of IT service providers and reaches companies and governments through them. This activity is indicative of a large campaign of industrial espionage and theft of confidential information.’
Athos Salomé, 36, from Brazil, who has been dubbed the “living Nostradamus”, has warned that more cyber attacks will occur, resulting in large-scale blackouts around the world.
According to Salomé, hacker groups are developing a new level of highly sophisticated ‘modular malware’.
“These tools are like turning your devices into a Swiss Army knife, to which you can add new functionality remotely. Before a traditional switch-based security system can detect these tools, let alone disable them, it must first identify them,” he added.
Salomé also highlighted trends such as the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop more sophisticated attacks or attacks that are difficult to detect with the naked eye.
“Right now, hackers are teaching the AI to behave like a real person during the phishing process, to a level where it is not easily detectable,” he noted.
Ransomware Tools
According to Salomé, factors have emerged that point to “improvements in ransomware tools” in terms of encryption speed and better distribution models.
He said: ‘This is a growing concern for businesses and governments worldwide.’
In an exclusive interview with FEMAIL, Salomé found that numerous cyber attacks are planned by Advanced Persistent Threat Groups (APTs)
Electrical networks and industrial control systems
Security experts have warned that one of the groups is planning to carry out successive attacks that could lead to widespread power outages in specific major cities in the United States and Europe.
Salomé revealed: ‘Such attacks can disrupt public order and create insecurity.’
Submarine internet cables
Salome also said that another group is planning to carry out a series of attacks using undersea Internet cables to sabotage the global communications system, all with the aim of causing large-scale economic destruction.
“The object that reminds me of the vulnerability of these underwater structures is a foundation that hackers are investigating,” he warned.
Bitcoins
Cryptography is not nearly as secure as people think and Salomé is convinced that hackers will soon attack exchanges.
“While these attacks are primarily aimed at gaining control over digital assets, they also aim to disrupt the new class of digital financial instruments, namely cryptocurrencies,” he said.
Salomé also believes that markets could be affected by synchronized cyber operations, which could pose a threat to trading and exchange platforms around the world.
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Paris 2024 Olympic Games
He said: ‘Once the Olympic Games are underway, it is possible that there will be more cyber attacks on the technological systems, transportation systems and communications networks involved in the event.
“Another test was carried out, similar to the one in Paris on Saturday night, and the next test is scheduled for the next World Cup in 2026,” Salomé said.
US Presidential Election 2024
“The main phenomenon that endangers the integrity of elections is cyber manipulation,” he said.
Technology and healthcare companies
Salomé also indicated that there is one group that specializes in cyber intrusion for corporate espionage, with the group primarily targeting biotech and healthcare companies.
According to him, this is ‘very valuable’ and can be used to secretly achieve ‘technological and/or pharmaceutical breakthroughs’.
Abnormal network traffic
Information about suspicious network traffic and attempts to gain access to protected systems fits the strategies of these groups.
He said: ‘Such signals are quite worrying and predict that further operations will be needed.’
Salomé warned that the global cyber shield should be made much stronger to prevent these types of attacks.
He concluded: ‘The most important countermeasure against these threats is preparedness and cooperation with other countries. The use of modern security technologies and regular training in correct behavior in the information space are also important measures.’
The ‘living Nostradamus’ predicted the Microsoft outage in April, claiming it could lead to an ‘escalation of confrontations’ and ultimately to cyberwar.
Earlier this month, the world experienced a day of chaos, with departure boards at airports being switched off immediately. This was the busiest day for UK aviation since the COVID pandemic.
In a sign of the global impact of the IT outage, stores in Australia closed or stopped taking cash after digital checkouts stopped working. In the US, emergency services lines were cut off.
Meanwhile, British rail passengers have been warned to expect delays due to “widespread IT issues across the network”, Sky News has gone offline and NHS England has said patients should not attend GP appointments unless instructed otherwise due to problems with its appointment and patient record system.
Microsoft confirmed it was investigating an “issue” with its 365 apps and operating systems and said a fix would be coming “soon.”
US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has admitted responsibility for the flaw, saying “a fix has been implemented”. The company said it was caused by a “defect found in a single content update” and insisted the issue was “not a security incident or cyberattack”.
Athos told FEMAIL: ‘According to the outcome analyzed, the global shutdown of Microsoft could have consequences for essential infrastructure, resulting in an escalation of confrontations between states and a cyber war.
‘Investigations and remedial actions will be carried out in the short term to get services back online and to prepare a plan against future attacks.
‘Companies will have to improve the protection of cyberspace, and society may become concerned about the use of Internet services, leading to discourses of intensive regulation. This event may lead to shifts in political actions and military tactics at the international level, and the threat of international war is real.’