In New Delhi: When it comes to dangerous Web threats, the only constant is change and gone are the days of predictable attack vectors. Instead, modern blended threats such as Aurora, Stuxnet, and Zeus infiltrate organizations through a variety of coordinated tactics, usually a combination of two or more. Phishing, compromised websites, and social networking are carefully coordinated to steal confidential data, because in the world of cybercrime, content equals cash. And, as the Websense 2010 Threat Report illustrates, the latest tactics have now moved to a political -- and nationalistic -- stage.The report showcases how in today's threat landscape, legacy defences simply don't work.
We all have antivirus, firewalls and proxies installed, but that isn't enough. Threats are no longer binary files delivered in attachments, they are script-based attacks and they are embedded in rich media like Flash. And many spread rapidly on the social Web. Reputation filters provide zero security for threats delivered via top "legitimate" websites like Google, Facebook, and YouTube, where 80 percent of Web traffic goes.Cybercriminals know that legacy technology simply looks for known information (signatures) or reputation of previously identified threats, which is why they are so successful at exploiting existing defences Most of today's blended attacks are considered "zero-day," in that they have not been previously identified. They are ever-evolving and pre-tested by cybercriminals on common anti-virus products before they are released. These threats sail through firewalls and open channels.
"The continued rise of organized cybercriminal gangs and the emergence of targeted advanced malware threats are the most concerning trend we've seen," said Dan Hubbard, chief technology officer, Websense. "Security needs to move ahead of the attackers and focus on contextual classification in order to thwart them. Simple binary access controls and castle and moat security will not solve the complex attacks we see today. These are precisely the type of threats we have in mind when we build Websense security products."In 2010, cybercriminals adapted their strategies to address the social websites and sites with dynamic user-generated content. Attacks are now more blended, sophisticated, and targeted.
Many of these attacks use new tricks and methods of delivery. Script-based attacks, blended email campaigns, and SEO poisoning were all common in 2010. Even the most easily detected threats and botnets were successfully re purposed with variations that often allow them to slip through outdated defences The majority of attacks in 2010 focused on the same thing: stealing data.Significant findings from the Websense 2010 Threat Report affirm that while broad threats continue, focused, targeted attacks are on the rise. Findings include:111.4 percent increase in the number of malicious websites from 2009 to 201079.9 percent of websites with malicious code were legitimate sites that have been compromised52 percent of data-stealing attacks were conducted over the Web34 percent of malicious Web/HTTP attacks included data-stealing code89.9 percent of all unwanted emails in circulation during this period contained links to spam sites and/or malicious websites"Whether it is your company's sensitive financial information, your social networking, or online banking credentials, that content has tremendous value," said Devin Redmond, vice president of Business Development, Product Management and Marketing, Websense. "With so many intertwined vectors, these threats demand a new approach to security that looks at both inbound and outbound content.
To protect against today's blended and sophisticated threats, companies need to plug the spaces left by a scattershot spraying of point solutions and move to a unified security architecture that protects their content."In the report, Websense Security Labs also predicts threat trends for 2011. Included in the predictions is an analysis of future blended threats, terrorism, and data loss over the dynamic Web that demonstrate the potential for targeted 2011 cyberterrorism attacks.
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