Symantec – Cyber Criminals May Target Windows 7

According to Symantec's recently published security trends report titled "Security and Storage Trends to Watch," cyber criminals would attack Windows 7 and distribute large volumes of spam messages during 2010.

Symantec has predicted that the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating software would come into attackers' cross-hairs. But the software company based in Redmond, Washington (Microsoft) has already issued the initial set of security patches for its most recent operating system -Windows 7, although Zulfikar Ramzan (Technical Director of Symantec Security Response) states that given the massive number of codes are being created, more security vulnerabilities are sure to arise that attackers would exploit with different methods, as reported by SC Magazine on November 19, 2009. Ramzan said that it was not 'whether' the flaws would arise and attackers would exploit them, but 'when' they would arise and get exploited.

Security experts have said that Microsoft found a total of two known flaws in Windows 7. They further add that while for several organizations it has been possible to patch the vulnerabilities, third party software inside Web browsers along with Internet inclined applications like PDF Flash Players and Readers have been a particularly annoying issue for professionals of IT security.

Moreover, Symantec also predicts that malware writers would have more opportunities to make money, with Apple's market share expected to grow during 2010. Nonetheless, the interest in targeting Mac computers does not imply that Windows computers would be spared. There would be a growing adoption of Windows 7 during 2010, as a result, hackers would take to investigating the OS' flaws for personal gains, researchers stated.

Commenting on this point, Internet security specialist stated that malicious software authors were already exploiting Windows 7 to rip off users. A few months ago investigators at Damballa (a Web security company) had reported of Windows 7 bootleg copies getting published on torrent websites that infected visitors in the proportion of 552 users every 60 minutes.

In addition, a number of news outlets reported of fresh malicious software inside counterfeit Windows 7 copies that aimed at constructing a malicious network or 'botnet.'

Related article: Sentence for American Contractor for Sabotaging Government Navy Computers

» SPAMfighter News - 12/1/2009