2011 - The year of malware attacks: TrustDefender predictions for year ahead

Written by Michael Whiley Friday, 17 December 2010 09:24

2010 has been the year of cybercrime. From data theft and internal breaches, to WikiLeaks and virus based cyber warfare; businesses and governments around the globe have been affected through stolen intellectual property and illegal transactions. A survey conducted earlier this year found, on average businesses in the U.S spend $3.8 million alone coping with cyber attacks, with some organisations overtly inflicted with costs of up to $52 million.¹ The UK is devoting more energy to understanding and developing weaponry (to the cost of £650 million) for cyber warfare, more than any other military area² and in Australia 69% of adults having been subjected to cyber crime.³

TrustDefender predicts 2011 will see a strong increase in cyber activity including malicious malware threats, stolen identities and data infiltration. The move of applications and work environments into the cloud, along with the growing use of mobile devices and online transactions, poses a growing risk to enterprises and makes individuals more vulnerable online. Without adequate attention to online security malware attacks will continue to become more sophisticated and targeted to take advantage of these channels.

Ted Egan, CEO TrustDefender comments, “We have seen a dramatic shift in the way criminals exploit and do business this year – everyone is now at risk. The evolution of IT infrastructure through Smartphone, USB, tablet devices and cloud computing integration has increased online vulnerabilities. Enterprises and end-users do not have the tools or key knowledge of real-time security to address these potential risks. As we continue to rely on the internet throughout our daily lives, the need for real-time solutions is essential.”

“The emergence of cyber warfare and cyber espionage foresees some dramatic threats to government protection. Stuxnet is just one example of the impact cybercriminals can have, with over 44,000 computers having been infected with the Stuxnet virus worldwide. The recent events around WikiLeaks address the need to protect personal and corporate data. For the first time governments around the world are listing cybersecurity at the top of their agendas.” Ted Egan concludes.

TrustDefender’s key predictions for malware advancements in 2011 are:

1. Man-in-the-mobile malware will dominate the year – The advancement of Smartphone technology from Androids to IPhones provides a valuable opportunity for cyber criminals. The advancement of Smartphone technology from Androids to IPhones provides a valuable opportunity for cyber criminals. There are limited security offerings for Smartphone’s and with the increasing growth of mobile banking and shopping this contributes to these devices being targeted and their vulnerability. Malicious activity running in the memory of mobile devices (‘man-in the mobile’) can go undetectable while having the ability to infiltrate internet transactions, hack professional email accounts and steal personal data and identification.
2. Malware to increase in sophistication- Malware will utilise capabilities such as anti-researcher tricks incorporating capabilities using detection of virtual machines and anti-tamper technology capabilities. They will also begin using geo-location tools to identify researchers.
3. Malware activism –more criminals and “regular” individuals will use customised malware to target specific government and corporate internet activities. Likewise incidences of corporate espionage are set to grow in 2011. Some malware will continue to experiment with embedding itself in hardware. This will not be particularly successful for widespread use, although it might be very effective for the growing espionage market purposes.
4. Specific capabilities to target corporates- As more and more governments, corporate enterprises and online business move their Information Technology infrastructure into the cloud. There is a serious requirement to have flexible technologies that can reach out to the edge of the cloud and secure the cloud while building trust in the online relationship and the provider.
5. Advanced Trojans and Old Techniques are back - As we have seen in 2010, we will see an alarming increase in the more sophisticated Trojans escaping detection from traditional anti-virus – increased zero-day attacks. Many of these sophisticated Trojans will incorporate old techniques phishing, spear phishing and SMiShing activities in 2011

<sub>Notes:
1. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/072610-cybercrime-costs.html
2. http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6AL6BP20101123
3. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/security/cyber-crime-hits-almost-7-in-10-aussies-report-20100909-151yf.html
4. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/368460/experts_stuxnet_changed_cybersecurity_landscape/</sub>
 

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