Internet Security Trends 2009: An Interim Update

Internet Security Trends 2009: An Interim Update
By Zulfikar Ramzan
September 2, 2009 02:38 PM ET

CSO - The effects of cybercrime are far reaching. It would be a difficult task to find someone who has never been affected by malicious Internet activity, or who does not at the very least know someone who has been negatively impacted by cybercriminals. Advances in Internet technology and services continue to open up innumerable opportunities for learning, networking and increasing productivity. However, malware authors, spammers and phishers are also rapidly adopting new and varied attack vectors. If the Internet is to become a safer place, it is imperative to understand the trends and developments taking place in the Internet threat landscape and maintain online security best practices.

In December 2008, Symantec researchers predicted a number of security trends to watch out for in 2009. Now that we are into the second half of the year, it's time to check in on those predictions to see not only how they have panned out, but also what other developments have occurred. What follows is an update on the predictions Symantec made late last year, as well as a few new trends that our analysts have seen develop in the first half of 2009.

A Trends Predictions Check Up

Attackers take advantage of the economic crisis

The global economic recession has been one of the most noticeably exploited bases for attack in 2009. Its impact has been far-reaching and the computer industry is far from immune to its affects. Schemes and scams targeting victims of the recession and touting solutions to its problems are prevalent. Some of the threats are new and some have been around for awhile. These scams include:

* Home foreclosure scams

* Scams targeting people seeking mortgages or refinancing

* Scams exploiting the U.S. economic stimulus packages

* Scams targeting the unemployed with offers almost too good to resist

* Attacks seeking to exploit users of classifieds and online job placement boards

* "Work at home" schemes

Social networking becomes an even more popular attack vector

There's no question that online social networking continues to rise in popularity due to the numerous conveniences and opportunities it provides. There's also no question that social networking provides phishers with a lot more bait than they used to have. Threats can come from all sorts of avenues within a social networking site. Games, links and notifications are the low-hanging fruit for phishers to use as they lead people into dangerous territory. As society picks up one end of the social networking stick, it finds that it inevitably picks up the security problems on the other end

Internet Users Continue to Amaze with Foolish Passwords

Internet Users Continue to Amaze with Foolish Passwords

It is a disgrace that humans haven’t still got the hang of setting passwords. It seems as though that most internet users have inextricably tethered themselves to a promise of not setting strong-enough passwords, which may force hackers to reconsider their choice of profession for its grueling nature. As you devour more of this story, you will begin to envy hackers for having it stroll-in-the-park easy.

A new study has revealed – rather reiterated - that internet users nonchalantly continue to set unimaginative, fatuous passwords. The study appraised 28,000 passwords that were recently stolen from a U.S website.

Sixteen percent of the users had set their first name as their password. Around fourteen percent chose easiest to recall key combinations, including “1234” and “12345678”. Other users, who apparently don’t rate their mathematical ability highly, chose to steer clear of numbers and settled for passwords such as “AZERTY” and “QWERTY”.

Five percent of the passwords were found to be inspired by popular things and celebrities, including names of movies, TV shows and actors. The strongest password in this category was found to be “Ironman” as it sounds impenetrable.

Three percent of the people reckon passwords are another medium of expression. How else would you explain passwords like “Iloveyou” and “Ihateyou?”