Symantec Security Threat Predictions proved Right

Symantec (End point security firm), released their mid-year report on 29th July, 2010, reviewing their own predictions on security threat for the year 2010. As per the review report, maximum predictions proved to be on track.

In the beginning of year 2010, it was foreseen that antivirus software will not be sufficient for security. With increasing polymorphic attacks and the abundance of unique malware varieties in the year 2009, the firm understood that conventional antivirus techniques like file signatures and heuristic/behavioral capabilities, are not sufficient to guard against current security threats.

The security experts revealed that, this is a fact and the unique varieties of malware are increasing so fast that they will shadow the manufacturing of good software. Symantec added that they have developed 2,895,302 new malware signatures last in the year 2009, an increase of 71% as compared to the year 2008. During the first half of the year 2010, they revealed creating 1.8 million new malware signatures already.

It was also predicted by the security firm that social networking will be applied as the principal attack vector as a large number of attackers are directly attacking the end user and trying to make them download malware or providing personal information, in the disguise of doing something totally legal.

Today, Social engineering is one of the main attack agents used by the cybercriminals, and Symantec has predicts that the rate of attempted attacks via social engineering will definitely rise in the year 2010.

In addition, it was also predicted that fake security software attacks will surge, involving hijacking and ransom of consumers. Until now, Symantec reveals this proved wrong. Though, fake security software attacks are yet persistent, still they have not found users' computers being grasped to ransom.

Besides these predictions, Symantec made few other predictions like social networking third-party applications taken advantage for fraud; Windows 7 as the main malware and security threat target; rise in "fast flux botnets" etc. As per the security firm almost all the predictions proved to be on track and are right.

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

» SPAMfighter News - 8/11/2010