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Symantec Internet Security Threat Report Tracks Notable Rise in Cybercrime Activity
CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Symantec Corp. released its ninth volume of the Internet Security Threat Report, one of the most comprehensive sources of Internet threat data in the world. The semiannual report, covering the six-month period from July 1, 2005 to Dec. 31, 2005, marks an increase in threats designed to facilitate cybercrime.
While past attacks were designed to destroy data, today’s attacks are increasingly designed to silently steal data for profit without doing noticeable damage that would alert a user to its presence. In the previous Internet Security Threat Report, Symantec cautioned that malicious code for profit was on the rise, and this trend continued during the second half of 2005. Malicious code threats that could reveal confidential information rose from 74 percent of the top 50 malicious code samples last period to 80 percent this period.
“Cybercrime represents today’s greatest threat to consumers’ digital lifestyle and to online businesses in general,” said Arthur Wong, vice president, Symantec Security Response and Managed Security Services. “The unparalleled insight this report provides into how cybercrime is happening and how it can be prevented enables Symantec to help protect the widest variety of customers in the world.”
The report also details the growing trend of attackers using bot networks, targeted attacks on Web applications and Web browsers, and modular malicious code. Based on this and data from previous reporting periods, Symantec expects to see more diverse and sophisticated threats used for cybercrime as well as an increase in the theft of confidential, financial, and personal information for financial gain.
Cybercrime-related threats are gaining momentum through the use of crimeware, software tools built with the purpose of committing online scams and stealing information from consumers and businesses. Attackers are moving away from large, multiple purpose attacks against traditional security devices such as firewalls and routers. Instead, they are focusing their efforts on regional targets, desktops, and Web applications that may allow an attacker to steal corporate, personal, financial, or confidential information; this information could then be used for additional criminal activity.
Programs that provide attackers with unauthorized control of a computer, known as bots, also contribute to the rise in cybercrime threats. While the number of bot-infected computers is 11 percent lower than last period—with an average of 9,163 infected systems identified each day during the current reporting period—bot networks are increasingly used for criminal activities such as denial of service (DoS)-based extortion attempts. On average, Symantec observed 1,402 DoS attacks per day, a 51 percent increase over the previous reporting period. Symantec speculates that this growth trend will continue as attackers leverage an increasing number of Web-based application and browser vulnerabilities.
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