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Information Technology News Symantec’s latest security report: web attacks getting much worse
Information Technology News Symantec’s latest security report: web attacks getting much worse | Symantec’s latest security report: web attacks getting much worse |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Thursday, 10 April 2008 | |
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Page 4 of 4 In the past, Symantec says that “users had to visit intentionally malicious sites or click on malicious email attachments to become a victim of a security threat.” Featured Whitepaper
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Phishing also continues to be a problem. In the last six months of 2007, Symantec observed 87,963 phishing hosts – computers that can host one or more phishing Web sites. This is an increase of 167 percent from the first half of 2007. Eighty percent of brands targeted by phishing attacks during the study period were in the financial sector. The report also found that attackers are seeking confidential end-user information that can be fraudulently used for financial gain and are less focused on the computer or device containing the information. In the last six months of 2007, 68 percent of the most prevalent malicious threats reported to Symantec attempt to compromise confidential information. Finally, Symantec says that attackers are leveraging a maturing underground economy to buy, sell and trade stolen information. This economy is now characterised by a number of traits common in traditional economies. As an example, market forces of supply and demand have a direct impact on pricing. Credit card information, which has become plentiful in this environment, accounted for 13 percent of all advertised goods—down from 22 percent in the previous period and sold for as low as $0.40. The price of a credit card in this underground market is determined by factors such as the location of the issuing bank. Credit cards from the European Union, for example, cost more than those from the United States; this is most likely due to the smaller supply of cards circulating in the E.U which makes the card more valuable to a criminal. Bank account credentials have become the most frequently advertised item making up 22 percent of all goods and selling for as little as $10, with Symantec’s software a good protection, along with software such as TrustDefender . So, some tips from us here at iTWire. Don’t put too much information about yourself online at social networking sites or online game environments. Ensure that you not only have an anti-virus program, but also other essential security features switched on or regularly used, such as your firewall, anti-malware/anti-bot net/anti rootkit software, (whether from Symantec or companies such as AVG and Spybot Search and Destroy), to stay as safe online as possible. Also download and install all of the updates made available not just for Windows, but for all the software on your computer. It’s still the wild, wild web out there, and it’s only getting worse, meaning consumers need to become more vigilant than ever before when they’re online from any computer – whether they want to or not! |
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