DALLAS, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The third
quarter saw a significant event with the new critical
vulnerability, known as Shellshock, that threatened more than half
a billion servers and devices worldwide. This major development, as
well as an uptick in volume and sophistication of cyber-attacks are
detailed in Trend Micro Incorporated's (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704)
latest quarterly security roundup report, "Vulnerabilities Under
Attack: Shedding Light on the Growing Attack Surface." The
report also reveals web platform and mobile app vulnerabilities
that have broadened significantly, resulting in high-impact attacks
on businesses and consumers alike.
"Our findings confirm that we are battling rapidly moving
cybercriminals and evolving vulnerabilities simultaneously," said
Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. "With this fluidity, it's time to
embrace the fact that compromises will continue, and we shouldn't
be alarmed or surprised when they occur. Preparation is key
and as an industry we must better educate organizations and
consumers about heightened risks as attacks grow in volume and in
sophistication. Understanding that cybercriminals are finding
vulnerabilities and potential loopholes in every device and
platform possible will help us confront these challenges so
technology can be used in a positive way."
The report dissects vulnerabilities, such as Shellshock, which
threatens popular operating systems, including Linux, UNIX and Mac
OS X. The surprising discovery of the Shellshock vulnerability
emerged after going unnoticed for more than 20 years, suggesting
the likelihood of more long, undiscovered vulnerabilities lurking
within operating systems or applications.
Vulnerabilities in mobile platforms and apps are also proving to
be a greater challenge. As in previous quarters, the report cites
that significant and critical vulnerabilities were found in mobile
platforms, such as Android. Exploit kits were highly utilized in
Web platforms and provided cybercriminals another resource to
compromise victims' systems.
In an effort to steal credit card information and money, the
report also reveals that threat actors are targeting large
retailers' Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems to execute massive data
breaches. This ongoing practice further indicates that PoS networks
are highly accessible and vulnerable. Cyber thieves also utilized
updated versions of older versions of popular malware and online
banking malware to successfully target victims.
In addition, the Q3 report discloses data that the United States tops the list of countries
with the most PoS malware, ransomware, malicious URL sources and
visits to malicious sites. Government institutions were reported to
be the most targeted organizations.
This quarter's report also includes expert insight from Trend
Micro's threat researchers and evangelists. The following are a few
highlights:
- A summarized threat landscape, complete with statistics and
insight, including mobile threats, etc.
- In-depth information regarding prominent vulnerabilities
- Details about successful attacks against popular web platforms
and breakdown of sophisticated attacks that aggressively pursue
financial data
- Analysis of security challenges faced by mobile app developers,
as well as users
- Revelations of targeted attacks utilizing internal and external
entry points
For the complete report, please visit:
http://www.trendmicro.com/cloud-content/us/pdfs/security-intelligence/reports/rpt-vulnerabilities-under-attack.pdf.
A blog post regarding the report can be viewed here:
http://blog.trendmicro.com/vulnerabilities-attack-shedding-light-growing-attack-surface/.
About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software,
strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information.
Built on 25 years of experience, our solutions for consumers,
businesses and governments provide layered data security to protect
information on mobile devices, endpoints, gateways, servers and the
cloud. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information,
with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and
manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. All of our solutions are
powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™
Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, and are supported by more
than 1,200 threat experts around the globe. For more
information, visit TrendMicro.com.
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SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated