16/12/2009

Hackers will start to industrialise themselves into supply chains similar to those used by drug cartels, a new report has warned.

The resultant increase in cohesive plans of attack means that security will become more important to businesses, according to the study by online security experts Imperva.

The company's findings echo those of the Cisco 2009 Annual Security Report published last week, which warned firms that the malware market had grown to the stage where it even utilised basic economic principles.

Commenting on the findings, Calum Macleod, regional director of Tufin Technologies, said that 'the problem of protecting data and applications is compounded by the lack of effective control over system security credentials'.

He added: 'Users have become so accustomed to receiving security alerts telling them that certificates for applications have expired that they no longer pay attention to them and this is due to the failure of retailers and other organisations to manage keys.'

It is this failure which is making it easier for hackers to access files and credentials, Mr Macleod argued.

In its report, Cisco warned internet users that online scammers were increasingly attempting to lure victims to fake anti-virus websites which download malware onto their computers.