(((Some fab work for Symantec here, and wait'll you see what they're predicting.)))
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0340315.htm
Link: Symantec Looks Back at the Internet Security Trends and Threats of 2007.
"The top 10 Internet security trends of 2007 as tracked by Symantec Response include:
Bots – Bots and botnets, otherwise known as zombie networks, continued to silently slip onto unsecured computers and perpetrate a wide variety of malicious activity. Bots knocked Estonia off the online map and the Storm worm employed bot technology as well. (((Yeah, 2007, the year an entire country was DDOS-ed. Make that the FIRST year an entire country got DDOS-ed.)))
Data Breaches – High-profile data breaches underscored the importance of data loss prevention technologies and strategies.
"Spam – In 2007, spam reached new and record levels. Image spam declined while PDF spam emerged as a new annoyance.
Greeting-card spam was also responsible for spreading the extremely pervasive Storm worm malware (also known as Peacomm). (((That's two out of ten for the Storm boys – way to go, Zhelatin Gang.)))"Professional Attack Kits – Today's attackers are increasingly sophisticated and organized and have begun to adopt methods that are similar to traditional software. They're actually selling easy-to-use cyber fraud kits for profit, to recruit non-tech savvy larcenists to learn how to defraud victims online. MPack is just one illustration of this phenomenon. (((Make that THREE out of ten for the Russian cybermafia, since Russian Business Network sells MPack kits.)))
"Phishing – Phishing continued to be a big trend in 2007 with an
18 percent increase in unique phishing sites during the first half of the year. Phishing toolkits contributed to the problem. A recent Olympic phishing scheme illustrates the topical tricks phishers use as bait. (((Okay, four out of ten. Maybe the Russians will simply take over Internet crime and drive all the wimps, Third Worlders and hobbyist sissies out of the business.)))"Exploitation of Trusted Brands – By exploiting a trusted Web environment, attackers now prefer to lie in wait for victims to come to them. These trusted brands are often regional, since national brands usually have more-protected sites.
"Web Plug-in Vulnerabilities – Web plug-in vulnerabilities and exploits continued to plague IT experts and home users during 2007. ActiveX
controls comprise the majority of plug-in vulnerabilities and pose various security threats that may compromise the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of a vulnerable computer."Vulnerabilities for Sale – Wabi Sabi Labi debuted and offered an auction-style system for selling vulnerability information to the highest bidder, sparking controversy and discussion between competing schools of thought on how to handle vulnerability information.
"Virtual Machine Security Implications – Virtualization made big headlines in 2007 with major players going public. Security researchers are actively exploring the security implications of virtual technology.
A LOOK AHEAD AT CYBERCRIME IN 2008
Below, Symantec's team of Internet security experts has forecasted the most highly anticipated security challenges for 2008...
