Kaspersky Lab Cyberthreat 2012 forecast

Kaspersky Lab Cyberthreat 2012 forecast

Kaspersky Lab have picked out the key trends of the past 12 months and compiled a report that highlights
the major new features on the security landscape for 2012.

Few days back, I shared about Internet security suites in order to make you aware about the available
internet security software that can prevent your computer from being affected adversely by the
unwanted programs like virus, worms, or any other network malware. These unwanted programs attack
your computer systems and you don’t even come to know when they start corrupting your data and
files stored on your system.

As the brand new year unfolds, ZDNet Asia spoke to several security insiders and distilled eight key
lessons learnt and what kinds of security posture and know-how enterprises and online users should
take note of.

1.The Rise of ‘Hacktivism’ – one of the major trends of 2011, and no doubt it will continue into 2012.
2.The HBGary Federal Hack – how weak passwords, old software systems, and use of the cloud created a
security nightmare.
3.The Advanced Persistent Threat – these attacks confirm the emergence of cyber-espionage as common
practice among powerful state actors.
4.The attacks against Comodo and DigiNotar – trust in certificate authorities (CA) is under threat.
In the future, CA compromises may become more widespread. Besides, it is likely that more
digitally-signed malware will appear.
Duqu and Stuxnet – state-of-the-art cyber warfare.
5.The Sony PlayStation Network Hack – the new perils hidden in the cloud. Personally Identifiable
Information (PII) is conveniently available in one place, accessed over fast Internet links; ready
to be stolen in case of any misconfigurations or security issues.
Botnet Takedowns and the battle against Cybercrime – serving notice to the cyber gangs that their
scams are no longer risk-free. But every battle shows up the vast limitations of today’s legal
systems when it comes to a coordinated and effective approach to cybercrime.
6.The Rise of Android Malware – several factors make Android vulnerable to cybercrime: rapid
growth; freely available documentation about the platform; and weak screening at Google Market,
making it easy to upload malicious programs.
7.The CarrierIQ Incident – do you know exactly what is running on your mobile device? A single
incident highlighted how little we know about who is in control of our hardware.
Mac OS Malware – the crossover of PC threats (rogue AV programs are one of the most popular malware
categories for PCs) to Macs was another important trend of 2011.

Gostev said Google Android will be the prime target of the malware mobile market in the mobile
communications segment. He added that people should also expect attacks from mobile drive-by
attacks and mobile botnets.