Network Security Risks to Watch Out For in 2012
Networks, in other words a collection of computing devices that are interconnected to allow for sharing of resources and information, have come under increasing cyber attacks over the past few years. The problem is that once a single computer is hacked, it generally compromises the Internet security of the rest of the computers that are linked to it.
This year we have seen some alarming network attacks, such as the DNS Changer and Coreflood Botnets as well as a number of high profile hacks that have taken major banking institutions offline. Unfortunately, 2012 is set for even more worrisome cyber crime activities.
The following guide will give you an overview of what to expect in the coming months, so you can better guard against them.
Ransomware on Mobile Devices
As the name sests, “ransomware” is a malware infection that effectively holds a device hostage until a ransom payment is delivered. While this has been prevalent in computer attacks, such as virus infection scareware, the trend in the new year looks to be ransomeware targeting mobile phones. Such exploits have already been observed, along with social engineering scams that open the door for administrative access to infected devices.
Android Worms
Computer worms are self-ting malware programs which use computer networks to spread copies of themselves, and often without any user permission. While Android has been under multiple malware attacks due to its open source platform, it has mostly been free of this kind of attack. This is due to change in the near future, with the threat predicted to come from text messages that contain a worm-infected link or from malicious links posted on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Polymorphism Malware
Unlike Windows Mobile phones, the Android platform has also so far been free of polymorphism attacks. This technique amounts to malware that is capable of automatically mutating, which makes it extremely difficult to identify and thus destroy. Unfortunately, polymorphism is expected to hit Android devices in 2012, so be ultra vigilant with your Internet security, or you could find your mobile infected with a nasty infection.
SCADA Threats
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) threats are often connected to critical infrastructures such as power and water grids, which if breached could cause catastrophic results. We have already seen an example of this in the form of Stuxnet (which effectively compromised Iran’s nuclear program) and Duqu (a Stuxnet-like virus that stolen official certificates). The worry is that critical infrastructure systems do not always operate on a closed circuit – human machine interface (HMI) devices are under development which can interact with these systems and many have Web interfaces for logging in. This makes them vulnerable to being hacked.
Even more relevant to the average person, companies are increasingly migrating to cloud-based SCADA services which allow for data storage as well as the potential control of critical systems on a public cloud server if any security vulnerabilities are found. All in all, the fact is that that critical systems which affect us all are set to be increasingly targeted by criminals
Sponsored Crime
Increasingly, security analysts are discovering Crime as a Service (CaaS) online – criminal syndicates offering their illegal and malicious skills for hire. Examples which have already been seen include the infection of millions of computers, spam campaigns and even launching direct denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Experts warn that this practise will further evolve in 2012 to the point where instead of hiring a CaaS outfit for blanket attacks, they will be commissioned to carry out more strategic and targeted attacks on both companies and individuals.
Hacktivist Groups
The most high profile hacktivist group to emerge has been Anonymous – operating in one form or another since its beginning as 4Chan.org in 2003, these loosely organised anarchists are increasingly gunning for large, high profile companies such as Sony with their crafty malware attacks. This year saw more hacktivists arrive on the world stage, such as LulzSec, and even more such hackers are predicted to cause trouble in 2012. While groups such as Anonymous are now promoting themselves as fighting for the ‘good’, such as pitching in recently to help authorities destroy a child abuse ring, the problem is that hacktivists are just as likely to cross legal lines according to their whims.
Conclusion
With 2012 set for even stronger and smarter malware attacks on networks, we all need to be highly vigilant about Internet security. As individuals, we can protect others who share our network by being cautious about opening email attachments and clicking on suspect links, since these have the potential to unleash nasty viruses that then spread like wildfire. It also goes without saying that every network should without fail be protected by a stringent and thoroughly current anti-virus program.
About the Author: Peter McKiel is an independent IT Consultant.
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