Websense Lists Security Threats for 2010

Websense has recently published a list in which it has projected the security trends for 2010. The security company states that the next year's (2010) security trends would essentially be combinations of different online threats that would emerge through several attack mediums to compromise more PCs for stealing users' confidential information as well as for adding the hijacked PCs to botnets.

During 2010, computer users could encounter an increased volume of spam as well as attacks against social-networking sites and search engines, said Websense. During 2009, security researchers have already observed large instances of sinister use of collaboration tools and social networks like MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Wave for attackers to distribute their malware.

Commenting on how widespread use of social networks impacted people, the security researchers stated that such websites have vastly helped to augment users' Internet activities. However, whenever there is an information for people, scumbags emerge to hijack and steal that information for making own monetary gains. Actually in this instance, cyber criminals attack people's faith on the material generated through Web 2.0 services.

According to Websense, during 2009, botnet groups have increased and mimicked each other in connection with Web/spam campaign techniques. They have launched campaigns like bogus UPS/DHL notifications and other duplicate activities. This trend, the company adds, would carry on further in 2010. Moreover, the e-mail system that would be used to launch malicious attacks in 2010 would become more sophisticated.

Further, Macs would be vulnerable to exploits in the coming year and security updates would rise in number as hackers would increase their attacks against the platform, said Websense.

Besides, malware writers would find more opportunities to attack Windows 7 computers via the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the OS. It is predicted that there would arise an exploit that would cash in on certain Windows 7 code.

In this connection threat research manager Carl Leonard at Websense stated that as fresh editions of highly preferred software became available, malware writers targeted them with zero-day attacks for pushing their wares, as reported by IT PRO on December 3, 2009.

Related article: Websense Discovered Malicious Social Networking Spam Campaign

» SPAMfighter News - 12/15/2009