2008 – The Attack Of The Cyber Gangs, Says Network Box

Published 20th December 2007

Spear phishing, spyware and state sponsored cyber attacks. They will define the security agenda in 2008, according to managed security company Network Box. The company predicts a rise in targeted attacks on senior level employees and an increase in social engineering, leaving employees personal information and corporate databases wide open to exploitation...

The company believes that the popularity of social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, is allowing cyber criminals access to information previously unobtainable. Simon Heron, Managing Director, Network Box, comments: “Spear phishers are using social networking sites to find targets for identity fraud. These sites allow information on the targets that make the attacks worthwhile. It’s more profitable to target a Managing Director than an office junior.”

The company widely believes that, as many national security agencies are predicting, there will be a dramatic uptake in state sponsored cyber attacks, with up to 120 counties being involved. Heron adds: “Worryingly, it looks as though 2008 will see a state sponsored campaign of cyber attacks. Already NATO, MI5 and the FBI have issued warnings about this. It is alleged that there could be as many as 120 countries involved, with China leading the pack. China strenuously denies this however.”

The company also believes that databases are going to be a source of exploitation, with around 400,000 database servers worldwide still open to the Internet. Fuzzing techniques are also expected to increase the number of vulnerabilities found, allowing hackers more zero day exploits, which in turn will enable hackers to install malware on users systems. The company cites the popularity of Microsoft Office as the point of target not because it is more flawed than competitors but rather because it is more popular and hence more profitable to focus on.