GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Emerging Cyber-threats Predicted for 2011

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 10-21-10 | Comments

Information security must deal with evolving threats�a cat-and-mouse game where every new attack is countered by advances in cyber-security, which in turn are sidestepped by redesigned malware tactics. As applications, devices and networks continuously redefine the character of cyberspace, the Georgia Tech Information Security Center re-evaluates threats and recommended responses each year at its annual Security Summit on the Evolving Nature of Cyber Security Threats.

Table of Contents:

Emerging Cyber-threats Predicted for 2011

The Georgia Tech Information Security Center sponsors the annual Security Summit.

The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) Security Summit debuted the Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2011, which summarizes the cyber-threat landscape for next year, evaluates the most urgent needs and recommends IT responses to counter the threats. This year, the Cyber Threats Report described three emerging threats for which security experts should prepare: coordinated botnet attacks, social networking breeches and infrastructure penetration that could cause physical damage.

The most mature cyber-threat, according to the Cyber Threats Report, comes from criminals who have redesigned bots that were previously thwarted to work together as a group to sidestep security solutions. Previously, signature-based antivirus software had been capable of identifying and thwarting these botnets, by virtue of the identical malicious code running on each infected system. Unfortunately, cyber-criminals have since crafted automated tools that serialize their bots with numerous unique features that can fool traditional antivirus identification systems.

Futurist and R&D pioneer Joel Birnbaum predicted the evolution of pervasive computing.

According to the Cyber Threats Report, security researchers are now uncovering close to 100,000 new malware examples per day�many more than there are existing resources to conduct deep, human analysis. Malicious botnets sheath each bot inside executable code that appears to be legitimate software.

Next: Combating Coordinated Botnet Attacks >>