WatchGuard Forecasts APTs’ Bigger Impact on SMBs and Individuals During 2012

WatchGuard the security company recently published its threat predictions for 2012, stating that Internet-users can expect an increasing number of APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) as well as their more real-world instances during the coming year.

It appears that the prediction has turned to be true given the massive breaches such as the SecureID event along with operation ShadyRat of RSA, and the Duqu's finding following Stuxnet. The harm by APTs is felt more on prominent corporations and businesses. Currently, WatchGuard forecasts that the threat from APTs may permeate to small-sized enterprises as well as unwitting consumers.

Additionally, WatchGuard conjectures of malicious software that will take advantage of geolocation in an increasing manner for customizing assaults, thereby enhancing the money-making power of the software. One plain method that's already being utilized involves diverting victims of particular localities onto specially designed fraudulent websites, which work most effectively within those localities. The company expects that computer hackers will employ still further malevolent techniques for abusing geolocation within malicious software during 2012.

Also according to it, there may be no less than a single massive scale digital assault too during 2012 that'll result in one critical impact on any infrastructure system. It has since a lengthy time-period been feasible to have assaults against infrastructures like electricity manufacturing plants in a theoretical sense, of course only when Stuxnet appeared. This virus in reality contaminated "Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition" (SCADA) equipments as also introduced alterations leading to true visible outcomes.

One more important platform that cyber-criminals will mostly attack during the forthcoming year (2012) is social-networking Internet sites. During 2009, WatchGuard had forecasted that there would be dangerous data hacks through social networks and from then the assaults against these websites have risen. The security company stated that there would be increasing assaults through Facebook as also the website would provide routine security updates to ward off such rising assaults.

Conclusively, Vice-President, Eric Aarrestad from WatchGuard Technologies stated that 2012 would represent one vibrant year with respect to network security while cyber hackers and criminals would utilize more advanced forms of threats, published Eweek.com dated December 20, 2011.

Related article: WatchGuard Released Report on Security Trends in 2009

» SPAMfighter News - 12/29/2011