G Data predicts massive rise in malware for 2012

Pro

3 January 2012

Enterprises can expect an all-time high of over 2.5 million new virus signatures, a steep rise in mobile malware and further attacks on large organisations in 2012. This is according to Internet security firm G Data’s annual cybercrime forecast.

"One of the emerging issues from 2011 is malware for mobile platforms," said Eddy Willems, security evangelist at G Data. "Devices with the Android operating system will be increasingly under fire as cyber-criminals are constantly finding new ways to attack its vulnerabilities. 2011 saw a rise in social engineering, where users installed infected apps on their devices, causing many to lose money and personal data. 2012 will be the year of banking trojans, as more people migrate to mobile platforms for online banking facilities. The banking trojan malware can be bought quite easily and created individually by the attackers, which makes it a widespread threat."

The appearance of Duqu last year showed that not only high profile industrial facilities are targeted, as thought when Stuxnet appeared. Duqu can be used to compromise data and infiltrate a network for specialised attacks.

Major events, such as the Olympic Games in London this July, are expected to provide a perfect environment for cybercriminals: "We expect to see a steep incline in fake online ticket shops, website defacements, attacks at venue websites and much more," said Willems.