CA forecasts 2008’s top online threats
ConvergenceAsia staff
10/01/2008

The latest Internet Security Outlook Report issued by software company CA forewarns that online gamers, social networks and high-profile events like the US presidential election and the Beijing Olympics are among the top potential targets for online attacks in 2008.

The study, based on data compiled by CA’s Global Security Advisor researchers, features Internet security predictions for 2008 and also reports on trends from 2007.

“Cyber-criminals go where opportunity lies and take advantage of any and all vulnerabilities,” said Brian Grayek, vice president of Product Management for CA’s Internet Security Business Unit. “While security protection is becoming better at detecting malware, online thieves are getting smarter and stealthier in the way they attack our computers.”

CA online security predictions for 2008:

1. Social networking sites in the crosshairs: Social networking sites will become increasingly popular and, as a result, more vulnerable.

2. Web 2.0 services and sites will come under targeted attacks: While it is relatively easy to implement Web 2.0 services, it can be quite challenging to configure them to be totally secure.

3. Gamers under fire: Gamers already are a prized target, and stealing their account credentials continues to be a primary objective of online criminals.

4. Bots will dominate 2008: The number of computers infected by botnets will increase sharply in 2008. In an effort to become harder to detect, bot-herders are changing their tactics and decentralising via peer-to-peer architectures. They are increasingly using instant messaging as their main vehicle for spreading botnets.

5. Smarter malware: There are new levels of sophistication in malware. Malware will target virtualised computers, and increasing use of obfuscation techniques to hide in plain sight, including steganography and encryptions, will help criminals conceal their activities.

6. Key dates for opportunity: The US presidential election and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing offer high-profile opportunities for destructive attacks and corruption or outright theft of information.

7. Windows Vista at risk: Although it is designed as Microsoft’s most secure operating system, 20 vulnerabilities were reported in 2007, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. As more people use it, the more attackers will target it.

8. Mobile devices will still be safe: Mobile devices are still safe, despite rumours of mobile malware. Proof-of-concept malware for mobile devices has not yet translated into any meaningful attacks. The only significant mobile vulnerability reported in 2007 was to the Apple iPhone.

“The digital footprints that are collected and stored whenever we use the Internet are incredibly valuable to marketers and to online criminals,” Grayek continued. “We’ve seen malware evolve from a cottage industry to a full-fledged fraud business. Shockingly, it is now operating with business practices and development similar to legitimate software organisations. Our attitude about protecting our Internet privacy and the subsequent actions we take—whether at work or at play—can dramatically alter our online safety.”

CA researchers tracked the following trends in 2007:

- Malware volumes grew by 16 times in October vs January 2007.

- In 2007, 56 per cent of the total malware seen was malicious spyware, 32 per cent were trojans, 9 per cent were worms, and 2 per cent were viruses.

- Adware, trojans and downloaders were the most common types of spyware.

- The most widespread worms this year were simple network and removable drive worms.

- Rogue security software made up 6 per cent of the total spyware volume in 2007. Rogue security software is typically distributed via online ads for free anti-spyware software.

- Attack methods converged and blended threats with multiple components are now the norm.

- More than 90 per cent of email is spam, and more than 80 per cent of spam contains links to malicious sites or malware.

- The quality of spam has improved and is no longer obviously riddled with typos. It is also laden with attachments—images, PDFs, documents, spreadsheets or videos—that have malware or link to malicious sites.

- Nearly 40 per cent of spam was directed towards the United States. Australia, the UK, France and Germany were also targeted. Malware is an emerging issue in Latin America, South Korea, and China.

advertisement