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Malware Trendsetters For 2009
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2009-01-19
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There've been a lot of malware forecasts for 2009, and nearly all of them indicate that the digital scourge will be more sophisticated than in the past. McAfee's latest release of threat predictions is no exception, documenting how malware authors continuously keep up to date with the latest technological trends.
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For example, the latest trend toward cloud computing and Web 2.0 have led to similar shift among malware authors as they seek to exploit not the wisdom of the crowd, but perhaps the gullibility of it as well. This means exploitation of web-based services such as Gmail and Google Calendar, which we've seen recently, as well as comment threads and Twitter to lure people to spam and infections.
McAfee warns of increased evasive action via use of single-use binary files, which the security company describes as "an attacker's equivalent of a single-use credit card number used by consumers when shopping online." Such tactics not only increase the number of potential threats but also make it difficult for victims and security companies to identify attackers.
Those USB sticks and flash-memory devices that have become so commonplace on people's key chains? They might better be associated with another phrase: carrier monkeys. Be prepared for viruses transmitted via cameras, picture frames and other consumer electronics. "This trend will continue due to the almost unregulated use of flash storage across enterprise environments as well as their popularity among consumers," said McAfee's David Marcus.
Here's a new word for you: malvertising. After this tactic gained widespread use in 2008, security experts foresee a trend for 2009 as well. One example is "scareware," or bogus virus scans conducted by popup ads that always find a security threat and always prompt one to purchase or download a product to fix it.
For more information about McAfee's list of predicted malware trends, check out their whitepaper on the subject (PDF).
About the Author:
SecurityProNews is a daily online and email publication focusing on internet security issues.
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