| [February 14, 2012] |
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FireEye Advanced Threat Report Finds Fastest Growing Categories in the Second Half of 2011 Were Information Stealers and Pay-Per-Install Malware
MILPITAS, Calif. --(Business Wire)--
FireEye,
the leader in stopping advanced targeted attacks that bypass existing
defenses such as traditional and next-generation firewalls, IPS,
antivirus and gateways, today announced findings from their second half
(2H) of 2011 Advanced Threat Report that illuminates the sophistication
of advanced targeted attacks and the success cyber criminals are having
penetrating today's corporate networks. FireEye (News - Alert) Research found that the
fastest growing malware categories in the second half of 2011 were PPI
(Pay-Per-Installs) and information stealers that target user credentials
enabling the theft of key intellectual property and sensitive data. In
addition, FireEye also observed that cyber criminals are continuing to
break through traditional defenses in an alarming rate that is further
widening the $20 billion dollar security gap. This security gap refers
to the $20 billion invested annually in IT security, which is easily
evaded by cyber criminals to compromise the vast majority of enterprise
networks.
In the second half of 2011, PPI downloaders, worms, backdoors and
information stealers represented the four most prevalent categories of
malware. PPIs are malware programs that charge a fee to download or
distribute other malware programs. These programs differ from normal
downloaders/droppers in that a PPI malware author gets paid for every
successful install of another malware program. Of the top four malware
categories, information stealers and backdoors present the greatest
threat to enterprises.
In FireEye's last report issued in August 2011, the company found a
significant gap in today's enterprise IT defenses, as advanced malware
and targeted attacks are easily evading traditional defenses such as
firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, antivirus and Web/email
gateways. This trend has not changed. In second half of 2011, FireEye
found that 95 percent of enterprises have ad malicious infections
entering the network each week with 80 percent of the enterprises facing
more than a hundred new cases per week. The bottom line: today's
traditional security mechanisms are still not able to keep up with the
highly dynamic, multi-stage attacks that have become common today with
advanced targeted attacks.
Key Findings from the FireEye Advanced Threat Report - 2H 2011
-
The fastest growing malware categories in the second half of 2011 were
PPI and information stealers.
-
Over 95 percent of enterprise networks have a security gap despite
$20B spent annually on IT security.
-
Spear phishing attacks increase when enterprise security operations
centers are lightly staffed or understaffed, particularly during
holidays.
As criminals conduct advanced targeted attack operations, enterprises
must reinforce traditional defenses with a new layer of dynamic security
that can detect these zero-day threats in real-time and thwart malware
communications back to command and control centers. This extra defense
layer needs to be designed specifically to fight the unknown and
advanced persistent threat (APT (News - Alert)) tactics that dominate advanced targeted
attacks.
Quotes
"Our latest report is further proof that cyber criminals are getting
more savvy and bolder in their method of attacks," said Ashar Aziz,
Founder, CEO, and CTO, FireEye. "With the rise of information stealer
malware, it's more important than ever for companies in security
conscious industries such as financial services, health care and
government sectors to closely examine their current IT defense
perimeter; determine if advanced malware is entering their networks
unimpeded and prevent the theft of intellectual property."
SOCIAL MEDIA:
About FireEye, Inc.
FireEye is the leading provider of next-generation threat protection
focused on combating advanced malware, zero-day, and targeted advanced
persistent threat (APT) attacks. FireEye's solutions supplement security
defenses such as traditional and next-generation firewalls, IPS,
antivirus and Web gateways, which can't stop advanced malware. These
technologies leave significant security holes in the majority of
corporate networks. FireEye's Malware Protection Systems feature both
inbound and outbound protection and a signature-less analysis engine
that utilizes the most sophisticated virtual execution engine in the
world to stop advanced threats that attack over Web and email. Our
customers include enterprises and mid-sized companies across every
industry as well as federal agencies. Based in Milpitas, California,
FireEye is backed by premier financial partners.
FireEye is a trademark of FireEye, Inc. All other brands, products,
or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their
respective owners
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