Internet criminals are full fledged businessmen, says Cisco report

Mumbai: Cisco released the Cisco 2009 midyear security report. It shows that Internet criminals are increasingly operating like successful businesses, borrowing some of the best strategies from legitimate companies and forming partnerships with one another to help make their illegal activities more lucrative.

The midyear edition outlines some of the most common technical and business strategies that criminals use to breach corporate networks, compromise websites, and steal personal information and money. In the report, Cisco offers recommendations for protecting against some of the newer types of attacks that have surfaced recently, recommendations that incorporate people, processes and technology as a holistic risk management solution. The report also advises heightened vigilance against some 'old school' approaches that are just as sophisticated and prevalent as newer threats.

Highlights:

· The Conficker worm, which began infecting computer systems late last year by exploiting a Windows operating system vulnerability, continues to spread. Several million computer systems were under Conficker's control as of June 2009.

· Online criminals are up on current events and making the most of them. After the outbreak of H1N1 influenza in April, cybercriminals quickly blanketed the Web with spam that advertised preventive drugs and linked to fake pharmacies. Cybercriminals will often seize on major news events to launch this type of attack. While many spammers continue to operate with extremely high volumes, some are opting for lower-volume but more frequent attacks in an effort to remain under the radar.

· President Barack Obama has made strengthening US cyber-security a high priority for his administration and looks to work with the international community and the private sector to leverage technology innovations to reduce cybercrime. This focus is expected to have a significant positive impact for the industry in the coming months. John N Stewart, Chief Security Officer, Cisco and a contributor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report for the Obama administration, provided additional insight in a recent blog and video blog post.