[December 20, 2012] |
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AppRiver Releases 2012 Year-End Spam Report and Presents 2013 Forecast
GULF BREEZE, Fla. --(Business Wire)--
AppRiver, LLC, a leading provider of email messaging and Web
security solutions, today released its year-end Threat
and Spamscape report, a detailed summary and analysis of spam
and malware trends traced over the course of 2012. Also in the report
are the company's IT security trend predictions for 2013.
During the past year alone, AppRiver quarantined more than 630 million
messages carrying email-borne viruses. Additionally, in the past year
AppRiver has processed 26.6 billion messages of which 22.9 billion were
spam.
In a new video,
Fred Touchette, report author and senior security analyst at AppRiver,
discusses highlights from the year-end report and warns that 2013 could
bring the following threats:
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Mobile Malware-Be prepared to see a big increase in the amount
of malware targeting Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices through
several vectors including email, browser attacks and malicious apps.
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Malicious Apps-With malicious applications for smartphones and
tablets finding their way into legitimate app stores, security on the
app stores, will continue to improve. Google (News - Alert) Play recently added code
(though not in use yet) that scans its marketplace for malware and
retroactively scans personal devices for malicious apps that could
have been installed. If proven effective, this security measure will
seve as a great leap in mobile security.
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The Digital Wallet-Virtual wallets like Google Wallet and
Apple's (News - Alert) Passbook offer users the ability to store their credit cards,
coupons, and just about whatever else they desire in the cloud.
Shoppers simply need to tap their phones at the register to make a
purchase. So instead of slipping a traditional keylogger onto laptops
and waiting for victims to enter account information, cybercriminals
might now become digital pickpockets going straight for the digital
wallet.
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Cyber Warfare-Cyber-attacks against governments and
infrastructure have become a popular means of tactical warfare in the
past couple of years. Moving forward, we may witness cyber-attacks
against communications or utility entities just moments before ground
troops roll into new theaters of war. Until then, expect to see more
of the small, targeted attacks.
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Hacktivism-Hacktivists have been around for years, but now seem
to enjoy the media spotlight that shines attention on their cause.
Expect to see more hacktivism in the months ahead.
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Increase in Wire Transfer Fraud-A new botnet, related to wire
transfer fraud, Gozi, will be on the scene shortly. Gozi is
feature-rich and professionally coded, according to its creator,
vorVzakone, who offered a free test drive to those who can prove
they're in the same business and on the same side. Wire fraud is a
frequent occurrence for financial institutions, and the ability to
automate it on a botnet level could become a big deal. Expect to see
these attacks over the next year, as well as other malware authors
utilizing Gozi-like functionality.
"The mobile realm continues to grow at a rapid rate and we foresee more
attacks against these devices in the very near future," said Touchette.
"The best thing we can do is remain vigilant by keeping safe browsing
habits and remain educated to keep our personal data out of the wrong
hands."
Touchette also discusses specific attacks and general themes from 2012
in AppRiver's Threat and Spamscape report. "Social networking
attacks grew with the continuing popularity of Facebook (News - Alert), and newcomers
such as Instagram and Pinterest," said Touchette. "The scammers and
attackers always go to where the people are so it's no surprise that
attacks leveraging these sites have continued."
The full 2012 Year in Review report is available online
(http://www.appriver.com/resources/threat-and-spamscape-reports/news-2012overview.aspx).
About AppRiver
AppRiver is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) provider offering
award-winning email and Web security solutions to businesses of all
sizes. Understanding the need to protect networks from today's
increasingly complex IT threats, AppRiver offers businesses a
comprehensive, yet affordable subscription-based solution that
incorporates the latest spam and virus protection, email encryption and
Web security on the market. In addition, the company provides a complete
managed service for Microsoft (News - Alert) Exchange, as well as a bundled Office 365
solution. Since its inception, AppRiver has sustained an impressive 93%
customer retention rate while growing its customer base to more than
45,000 companies and over 8 million mailboxes worldwide. The company
maintains offices in Florida, New York and Switzerland, and is led by an
Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year award winner. For more
information, please visit www.appriver.com.
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