Posted by Gareth Cutter on 15th April 2009 to
Backup News Worrying reports from Internet security firm Symantec suggests that web-based attacks on people’s computers have been rising greatly since 2008, with identity theft being a primary concern. In 2008 alone, the company created 1.6 million new signatures for malicious code – more than 60% of the total code signatures it has ever written.
The report, which covers a wide range of Internet security threats including botnets and spam, highlights the very real criminal underworld of attacks on data and data theft. Names, addresses, dates of birth and credit card details of targeted individuals have been on sale for as little as 50 pence. Unencrypted data poses a key vulnerability to individuals and businesses’ information, and other malicious threats could potentially harm their operations if data is not adequately backed up.
Chief scientist at Symantec, Guy Bunker believes this represents a significant shift in activity in the criminal world. “This booming Underground Economy really is bucking the global recession trend. With over 100,000 malicious codes born every working day, it's not just the technology and code that's getting clever. It's also the approach and the strategy behind each attack.”
You can read the full Symantec Global Internet Security Threat Report 2009 report by clicking here.
