Monday 17 June 2013

Malware attacks demonstrate security vulnerabilities

Malware has become a rising concern, and as recent cyberattacks have highlighted, many organizations have inadequate security solutions in place for thwarting these infections from compromising data protection.
The University of Massachusetts recently had to tell almost 1,700 clients of its Center for Language, Speech and Hearing that confidential data, including addresses, names of health insurers and doctors, and Social Security Numbers, may have been accessed when a computer workstation was infected with malware. Dan Gerber, associate Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, recommended that clients monitor any abnormal access or activity relating to their health insurance information to minimize the risk of misuse.
A Phoenix Distribution report for ITWeb revealed that malware is continually evolving, being rewritten and re-released in infinite unique ways, which makes detection challenging. The source noted that sophisticated phishing attacks and other scams have worsened these threats, which will only continue due to the proliferation of new channels, such as social networks and mobile technologies. According to the news provider, Kaspersky and Symantec have determined that the volume of advanced malware that evades signature-based detection increased by nearly 400 percent in 2012. Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Distribution, stressed concerns regarding BYOD and mobile devices.
"Cyber criminals are changing their tactics to target fast-growing mobile platforms and social networks where consumers are less aware of security risks," he stated, ITWeb reported. "The integrity of mobile apps can be easily compromised through new tampering/reverse-engineering attack vectors, so mobile device owners must be increasingly aware of these vulnerabilities."
Campbell-Young also emphasized that beyond awareness of these issues, anti-virus and anti-spam tools are the most important factors for reducing the opportunity for an infection. By leveraging zero-day technologies, enterprises can better prepare for continually emerging new strains of malware and safeguard critical information.

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