A new report, "2009 Cyber Threats and Trends," was recently released by VeriSign iDefense Security Intelligence Services (Fribourg, Switzerland), a provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. The report seeks to raise awareness about the cybersecurity threats facing networks, enterprises and enterprise computing, and end-users by highlighting important trends that emerged in 2008. It also predicts the security trends and disruptions that are likely to develop in 2009, with lasting consequences for businesses in the coming decade.
Cybernetic crimes continued to increase in both frequency and severity in 2008. Cybernetic cartels, groups of young and modern cybernetic criminals, similar to the drug cartels of the 1980s, targeted commercial banking and managed to penetrate counter-fraud operations and security measures. Moreover, political cybernetic warfare has become a reality: Russian hackers are the most effective group when it comes to cybernetic fraud, while the Chinese utilize amateur hacking groups for low-level espionage operations. "The cyber security landscape has fundamentally changed... 'Script kiddies' no longer perpetrate the lion's share of malicious activity online... We have entered a new era of online security threats," said Jason Greenwood, vice president and general manager, VeriSign iDefense Security Intelligence Services.
In 2009, the critical infrastructure, notably the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are expected to come under increasing attack. SCADA systems are used to deliver or control services such as electrical power transmission, oil and gas pipelines, large communications systems, and water treatment and distribution. The current global financial crisis provides unprecedented opportunities for cybernetic criminals and those engaged in espionage to exploit the attendant turmoil resulting from institutional mergers, acquisitions, and failures. The FastFlux Service Network (FFSN) infrastructure, which uses computers compromised by botnets and other assorted malware to maintain dispersed and untainted IP (Internet Protocol) space for criminal ventures, such as phishing, is expected to increase. Cybernetic warfare has gone from a purely theoretical tool to a technically practical component on the world's economic and political stage.
"Other disruptors will begin in the coming year and pose hardships for security professionals in the years to come," said Rick Howard, Intelligence Director, VeriSign iDefense Security Intelligence Services. "The increased use of mobile phone platforms, virtual worlds, and the interconnection of devices with the implementation of IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) will provide new attack vectors that must be considered now, before they take hold."
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