IBM's X-Force Trend and Risk Report has "officially" verified what the HomeATM Blog has been messaging for the last 16 months, which is basically that if you are going to conduct a financial transaction, it must be done outside the browser space...because browsers are unsafe. You may had seen yesterday's post concerning the Top 11 eCommerce Paradigm Shifters which put HomeATM in Gear. Combined with today's release of their X-Force Report, you gotta like HomeATM's approach to securing online transactions as we are the only company who does it "outside" the browser space. (using our simple 2FA 3DES DUKPT E2EE. :-)
The IBM
X-Force Trend and Risk Report is produced twice per year: once at
mid-year and once at year-end. This report provides statistical
information about all aspects of threats that affect web security,
including software vulnerabilities and public exploitation, malware,
spam, phishing, web-based threats, and general cyber criminal activity.
They are intended to help customers, fellow researchers, and the public
at large understand the changing nature of the threat landscape and
what might be done to mitigate it...like swipe vs. type!
The report also reveals what it describes as “an unprecedented state of Web insecurity" as Web client, server, and content threats converge to create an untenable risk landscape.”
IBM’s researchers have clocked a 508% increase in the number of new malicious Web links and a level of veiled Web exploits, especially in PDF files, which is now running at an all time high.
The X-Force report notes an increase in the presence of malicious content on trusted sites, including popular search engines, blogs, bulletin boards, personal Web sites, online magazines and mainstream news sites. PDF vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 apparently surpassed disclosures from all of 2008.
“No one is to be trusted,” said X-Force Director Kris Lamb. “There is no such thing as safe browsing. We’ve reached a tipping point where every web site should be viewed as suspicious and every user is at risk.”
Editor's Note: Sound like a familiar rant? I'm coming from help when I say: "Don't Type...Swipe!" Want to register to read the report? Here's the Link (PDF) Also...here's IBM"s Press Release:
ARMONK, N.Y.
-
26 Aug 2009:
IBM (NYSE: IBM
) today released results from its X-Force 2009 Mid-Year Trend and Risk
Report. The report's findings show an unprecedented state of Web
insecurity as Web client, server, and content threats converge to
create an untenable risk landscape.
According
to the report, there has been a 508 percent increase in the number of
new malicious Web links discovered in the first half of 2009. This
problem is no longer limited to malicious domains or untrusted Web
sites. The X-Force report notes an increase in the presence of
malicious content on trusted sites, including popular search engines,
blogs, bulletin boards, personal Web sites, online magazines and
mainstream news sites. The ability to gain access and manipulate data
remains the primary consequence of vulnerability exploitations.
The X-Force report also reveals that the level of veiled Web
exploits, especially PDF files, are at an all time high, pointing to
increased sophistication of attackers. PDF vulnerabilities disclosed in
the first half of 2009 surpassed disclosures from all of 2008. From Q1
to Q2 alone, the amount of suspicious, obfuscated or concealed content
monitored by the IBM ISS Managed Security Services team nearly doubled.
"The trends highlighted by the report seem to indicate that the
web has finally taken on the characteristics of the Wild West
where no one is to be trusted," said X-Force Director Kris Lamb. "There
is no such thing as safe browsing today and it is no longer the case
that only the red light district sites are responsible for malware.
We've reached a tipping point where every Web site should be viewed as
suspicious and every user is at risk. The threat convergence of the Web
ecosystem is creating a perfect storm of criminal activity."
Web security is no longer just a browser or client-side issue;
criminals are leveraging insecure Web applications to target the users
of legitimate Web sites. The X-Force report found a significant rise in
Web application attacks with the intent to steal and manipulate data
and take command and control of infected computers. For example, SQL
injection attacks - attacks where criminals inject malicious code into
legitimate Web sites, usually for the purpose of infecting visitors -
rose 50 percent from Q4 2008 to Q1 2009 and then nearly doubled from Q1
to Q2.
"Two of the major themes for the first half of 2009 are the increase
in sites hosting malware and the doubling of obfuscated Web attacks,"
Lamb said. "The trends seem to reveal a fundamental security weakness
in the Web ecosystem where interoperability between browsers, plugins,
content and server applications dramatically increase the complexity
and risk. Criminals are taking advantage of the fact that there is no
such thing as a safe browsing environment and are leveraging insecure
Web applications to target legitimate Web site users."
The 2009 Midyear X-Force report also finds that:
- Vulnerabilities have reached a plateau. There
were 3,240 new vulnerabilities discovered in the first half of 2009, an
eight percent decrease over the first half of 2008. The rate of
vulnerability disclosures in the past few years appears to have reached
a high plateau. In 2007, the vulnerability count dropped for the first
time, but then in 2008 there was a new record high. The annual
disclosure rate appears to be fluctuating between six and seven
thousand new disclosures each year. - PDF vulnerabilities have increased. Portable
Document Format (PDF) vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of
2009 already surpassed disclosures from all of 2008. - Trojans account for more than half of all new malware.
Continuing the recent trend, in the first half of 2009, Trojans
comprised 55 percent of all new malware, a nine percent increase over
the first half of 2008. Information-stealing Trojans are the most
prevalent malware category. - Phishing has decreased dramatically. Analysts
believe that banking Trojans are taking the place of phishing attacks
geared toward financial targets. In the first half of 2009, 66 percent
of phishing was targeted at the financial industry, down from 90
percent in 2008. Online payment targets make up 31 percent of the share. - URL spam is still number one, but image-based spam is making a comeback.
After nearing extinction in 2008, image-based spam made a comeback in
the first half of 2009, yet it still makes up less than 10 percent of
all spam. - Nearly half of all vulnerabilities remain unpatched.
Similar to the end of 2008, nearly half (49 percent) of all
vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 had no
vendor-supplied patch at the end of the period.
Translation: Do Not Type...Swipe!
The X-Force research team has been cataloguing, analyzing and
researching vulnerability disclosures since 1997. With more than 43,000
security vulnerabilities catalogued, it has the largest vulnerability
database in the world. This unique database helps X-Force researchers
to understand the dynamics that make up vulnerability discovery and
disclosure.
IBM is one of the world's leading providers of risk and security
solutions. Clients around the world partner with IBM to help reduce the
complexities of security and strategically manage risk. IBM's
experience and range of risk and security solutions -- from dedicated
research, software, hardware, services and global Business Partner
value -- are unsurpassed, helping clients secure business operations
and implement company-wide, integrated risk management programs.
For more security trends and predictions from IBM, including graphical representations of security statistics, download the 2009 IBM X-Force Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report today.
About IBM
For more information about IBM, visit www.ibm.com...nuff said.
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