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What will be the biggest cyber-security threats of 2011 for government agencies (and potential opportunities for IT vendors)?
M86 Security researchers released a list of eight Internet threats they believe will become more serious in 2011. The four-page report describes each one and details how they could harm government agencies and commercial enterprises.
The list, M86 Security Labs: Threat Predictions 2011, warns the global community about the following means of attack:
• malware that uses stolen digital certificates to bypass white listing
• more mobile malware on smartphones
• spam that is better at mimicking legitimate e-mail
• sophisticated data-stealing Trojans
• social networks threats
• HTML 5 becoming a prime target
• malware-as-a-service offerings increasing
• botnets that come back after take down attempts.
Of these, we find the following two most interesting and potentially ripe for innovation opportunity:
Mobile Malware
With smart-phone penetration skyrocketing, hackers are bound to see this as a wide open field to practice their sinister craft. The lines are blurring between computers and mobile devices and more protection from mobile malware is needed. Contractors who can solve this problem will benefit.
Malware-as-a-service
We’re all familiar with software-as-a-service. This is similar in concept except the service provides a “toolbox” for cyber-criminals to create malware of all types. “We haven’t quite seen it yet, but we can certainly see in the next 12 months where you could have a cyber-crime service, and a cyber-criminal just needs to subscribe to that service, and all the different pieces that he’s going to need to perpetrate the cyber-crime are all offered through that service,” said Bradley Anstis, M86 Security’s vice president of technology strategy. Vendors who can create solutions to counteract these tool sets will also find commercial opportunity.
It’s unfortunate a need for cyber-countermeasures exists. However, criminals will do what they do. Understanding and responding to developing trends in cyber-security can prohibit them from being successful, providing a valuable service to governments and businesses around the globe.
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