Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Sunday, 24 February 2008 18:52
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 4
Malware threats aren’t using the scattergun approach any longer, with
criminals targeting users in their own languages in ever increasingly
sophisticated attempts to become more successful at ripping us all
off.
Security firm
McAfee has released their third ‘Sage’ report called ‘One Internet, Many Worlds’, showing how “cybercriminals are increasingly crafting attacks in multiple languages and are exploiting popular local applications to maximise their profits”.
Jeff Green, Senior VP of McAfee’s ‘Avert Labs’ says that: "This isn't malware for the masses anymore. Cybercrooks have become extremely deft at learning the nuances of the local regions and creating malware specific to each country. They're not skilled just at computer programming - they're skilled at psychology and linguistics, too."
McAfee’s new report is based on data compiled by their international security experts and examines the globalisation of threats and the unique threats in different countries and regions. In their report, McAfee has detailed the following trends and conclusions:
- Sophisticated malware authors have increased country-, language-, company-, and software-specific attacks
- Cyberattackers are increasingly attuned to cultural differences and tailor social engineering attacks accordingly
- Cybercrime rings recruit malware writers in countries with high unemployment and high levels of education such as Russia and China
- Cybercriminals take advantage of countries where law enforcement is lax
- Around the world, malware authors are exploiting the viral nature of Web 2.0 and peer-to-peer networks
- More exploits than ever before are targeted at locally popular software and applications
Green said that: "Malware has become more regional in nature during the past couple of years. This trend is further evidence that today's cyberattacks are targeted and driven by a financial motive, instead of the glory and notoriety of yesteryear's cybergraffiti and fast-spreading worms. We're in a constant chess match with malware authors, and we're prepared to counter them in any language they're learning to speak."
So, what are the geographical trends that McAfee uncovered? And what can you do to protect yourself? Please read onto page 2.
