IT security is one of the major concern of enterprises, whether big or small.
While staying ignorant would have done in the past, ignorance is 'no more'
bliss at least in the world of IT. One needs to stay constantly updated with the
security trends, solutions as well as emerging threats.
According to UK based security research firm Information
Risk Management, security threats in the year 2006 would become more
organised and would be targeted towards specific companies for financial gains.
Crossover Viruses
Crossover virsues can be defined as viruses that can transfer from one
electronic media to another that is from a laptop to a PDA to a mobile phone
etc. The first crossover virus 'Cardtrp' was detected in September 2005 and
could spread via bluetooth and MMS. Crossover virus attack is expected to be
more prevalent in the year 2006, because of a tremendous increase in the use of
mobile devices and lack of sophisticated antivirus tools for them, says the
research firm.
Trojans and Viruses
Viruses and trojans have been the most common security threats. Year 2006,
will see the emergence of cross-site scripting (XSS) viruses. XSS viruses are
platform independent and cannot be blocked by firewalls. Internet users will be
most affected by this kind of attacks, says Information Risk Management.
The probable solution to these attacks is deployment of signature-based
intrusion detection systems, to the extent that they become a necessary element
of the basic security software, like firewalls and antivirus tools.
Targeted Attacks
Hackers and security solutions providers have always been in a rat race with
each other. Increase in security threats has lead to the development of powerful
security solutions and a much more aware end user. Information Risk Management
expects a change in the hacker gameplan, and 2006 will see an increase in
targeted attacks.
Financial gain would be the main motive of hackers and they will strike with
more sophisticated attacks, says the research firm. While email and website
continue to remain as the most popular delivery mechanisms, keylogging can also
be used extensively. The research firm stresses on a robust internal security
system and security awareness training to keep customized attacks at bay.
Voice Spam
Tired of email spamming? Beware voice spam. With VoIP (Voice over Internet
Protocol) becoming a popular means of communication voice spamming is sure to
strike, says Information Risk Management.
VoIP based applications are expected to rise in the coming year and its
promoters cannot ignore the security issues associated with it. There is threat
of calls getting redirected or hijacked by advertisers. In light of all these
possibilities players in the VoIP sector have to put their act together and come
out with robust security solutions for a widespread acceptance of voice
services.