[February 25, 2013]

New Research from Nominum Reveals Worst Global Cyber Threats of 2012

The Nominum security team analyzed DNS data across the globe to identify the worst malicious bots of 2012 and ranked them according to breadth and repercussions of infection. The team found that 2012 was marked by the continuous growth of sophisticated attacks in fixed and mobile networks, and the majority of these attacks were carried by malicious bots that were previously unknown and had no antivirus software signatures available. Since most bots rely on the DNS to propagate and communicate with criminal networks, the DNS layer is an excellent way to identify threats and protect critical infrastructure.

Nominum (News - Alert) analyzed DNS data produced from their work with over 140 of the world's top service providers, which accounts for 30% of the world's network traffic, or 1 trillion DNS queries per day. Listed below are the top threats categorized by network and mobile device.

Top 10 Fixed Network Threats

This list shows the top ten malicious bots ranked by the degree of infection around the world. The top ten global bots are a mix of new modern bots and legacy bots. For a more detailed look at this research, read "Top Cyber Threats for Fixed Broadband Networks".

1. Ngrbot/dorkbot

2. Spybot

3. Ramnit

4. Spambot

5. Palevo/butterfly

6. Virut

7. Zeus

8. Sality

9. Conficker

10. Nitol

Top 5 Mobile Device Threats

There are a significant number of mobile malware infections in existence today that are capable of stealing mobile phone users' identity, and this number is growing exponentially. Nominum's research shows that Android (News - Alert) remains the top target of malware writers. For a more detailed look at this research, read "Top Mobile Malware Threats".

1. Notcompatible

2. Smspacem

3. Lena

4. Netisend

5. Basebridge

"Service providers and government agencies are showing increased attention to cyber security issues, but we still see the need for stronger countermeasures," said Craig Sprosts, vice president of Applications and Platforms, of Nominum. "We anticipate that in 2013, bot-related traffic through DNS queries will continue to be a primary source for malicious activity like spam, distributed denial-of-service attacks, data and identity theft, and more. We are pleased to be working with many of the world's largest operators to keep their Internet users safe."

To learn more about protecting against cyber attacks, visit: http://www.nominum.com/solutions/security/

About Nominum

Nominum is the worldwide leading provider of integrated subscriber, network and security solutions for network operators. Nominum is the provider of the N2 Platform that leverages over a trillion DNS queries daily and enables the rapid development and seamless integration of applications that leverage DNS data. These applications are generated by the Nominum IDEAL™ ecosystem, an open ecosystem of application providers. The combined value of the N2 Platform and the IDEAL ecosystem provides network operators with the ability to deliver a differentiated subscriber experience with cost efficiency and agility. Nominum is a global organization headquartered in Redwood City, CA (News - Alert).

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]