The Georgia Tech Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2012 predicts that 2012 will feature new and increasingly sophisticated means to capture and exploit user data. “Our adversaries, whether motivated by monetary gain, political/social ideology or otherwise are becoming increasingly sophisticated and better funded,” said Bo Rotoloni, director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute‘s (GTRI) Cyber Technology and Information Security Laboratory (CTISL).
“We can no longer assume our data is safe sitting behind perimeter-protected networks. Attacks penetrate our systems through ubiquitous protocols, mobile devices, and social engineering, circumventing the network perimeter.”
Threats according to Georgia Tech
Search Poisoning – Attackers will increasingly use SEO techniques to optimize malicious links among search results so that users are more likely to click on a URL because it ranks highly on Google (GOOG) or other search engines.
Mobile Web-based Attacks – Expect increased attacks aimed specifically against mobile Web browsers as the tension between usability and security, along with device constraints (including small screen size), make it difficult to solve mobile Web browser security flaws.
Stolen Cyber Data Use for Marketing – The market for stolen cyber data will continue to evolve as botnets capture private user information shared by social media platforms and sell it directly to legitimate business channels such as lead generation and marketing.
“We continue to witness cyber attacks of unprecedented sophistication and reach, demonstrating that malicious actors have the ability to compromise and control millions of computers that belong to governments, private enterprises, and ordinary citizens,” said Mustaque Ahamad, director of Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC).
Related articles
- Georgia Tech releases cyber threats forecast for 2012 (physorg.com)
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.