IBM has released the results of the X-Force 2011 Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report, which demonstrates the rapidly changing security landscape characterised by high-profile attacks, growing mobile vulnerabilities and more sophisticated threats such as “whaling.”
The IBM X-Force team studies the latest threat trends based on intelligence gathered through IBM’s research of public vulnerability disclosures, as well as the monitoring and analysis of an average of 12 billion security events during every day of 2011.
Taking an in-depth look at the security landscape to date, the recent 2011 IBM X-Force mid-year report revealed significant new observations including:
IBM X-Force is projecting that 2011 will see twice the number of mobile exploit releases that occurred 2010.
Attacks from ‘hacktivist’ groups, who targeted web sites and computer networks for political ends rather than just financial gain. Hacktivist groups have been successful in using well known, off-the-shelf attack techniques such as SQL Injection, which is one of the most common attack techniques seen in the Internet.
The success of APTs has raised the profile of “whaling”, a type of spear phishing which targets ”big fish,” or those positioned in high levels of an organization with access to critical data. These targeted attacks are often launched after careful study of a person’s online profiles has armed an attacker with the information needed to create a compelling phishing email that the victim will be fooled into clicking on.
Security is rapidly becoming a business-level issue, and it’s more critical than ever for organisations to address weaknesses in their technology and business practices. Public and private organisations faced complex business challenges as a result of increasingly sophisticated, targeted IT security threats that can impact shareholder value and tarnish their reputation. The IBM X-Force report underscores the critical need for companies to embrace a security strategy that addresses the increasingly sophisticated nature of today’s security landscape.
Staff Writer
