Hackers pose major threat online as barriers to entry decline

The recently released 2010 Symantec Internet Security Threat Report paints a grim a picture regarding online security.

As more and more countries leap into the digital age and the cost of services continues to decline in the globalized economy, it’s not a stretch to say that the whole world is a potential playground for even the most mediocre of hackers.

The report stated, “malicious activity continues to be pushed to emerging countries, targeted attacks on enterprises are increasing, with Web-based attacks continuing to be a favored attack vector, readily available malicious code kits are making it simple for neophyte attackers to mount attacks, and the online underground economy and malicious activity are benefiting from the downturn in the global economy.”

The report discovered over 240 million new malicious programs in 2009 and a 100 percent year-on-year increase in new malware, at a rate of one new botnet infection detected every 4.6 seconds.

The greatest increase in malicious activity was seen in India, Russia and Brazil, but the U.S. still remains the most attacked country in the world.

Firefox was determined to be the most vulnerable Internet browser while certain Windows and Adobe operating systems proved to be the most defenseless applications.

The financial sector remains the primary focus of hackers, representing almost 80 percent of all sector-related attacks. This doesn’t bode well for the world, given the global economic downturn, and especially because the cost of launching an attack has decreased so dramatically over the years. The report concludes that just about any “unskilled attacker [can] compromise computers.”

Symantec also highlighted the growing sophistication of attacks, especially those that target specific enterprises in the hope of stealing intellectual property. Google’s admission that it had been compromised earlier this year serves as a clear example of the report’s findings. But the report also noted that among malicious code families, Trojans remain the most popular.

To view the entire report or download the executive summary, visit http://www.symantec.com/business/theme.jsp?themeid=threatreport