Messaging and infrastructure security specialist Cloudmark has released its Annual Global Threat Report for 2015 which reveals the biggest current threats based on its crowd sourced security platform, which analyses user behavior from more than a billion subscribers.
Top of the list is the Swizzor malware which delivers unsolicited ads, modifying browser settings without user permission. This silent threat delivers booby-trapped emails to unsuspecting users with varying subject lines. Each email contains a zip file carrying the malware payload, this uses a simple domain generation algorithm for command and control synchronization to create a large number of domains that then clash with legitimate websites and make it difficult for them to be taken down.
Senior marketing consultant Pam Strayer writing on Cloudmark's blog says, "This under-the-radar malware uses novel URL naming conventions with common, simple words to disguise itself as normal traffic. Appearing as normal email traffic, the malware attempts to subvert typical email security and character distribution analysis".
Shortened links were another major concern in 2015 with 25,000 different malicious links detected, of which 97 percent are email spam. Spammers are using this method as an easy way to generate an unlimited number of call-to-action URLs that redirect to a server hosting storefronts and spam content. By using multiple links it's harder for spam filtering to detect them all. This activity also reflects badly on major brands, the CNN.it URL shortener for example has been abused, peaking at 8,800 malicious URLs in a single day on 11th Jan 2016.
Cloudmark reports that 91 percent of firms have experienced a spear phishing attack and that this is costing companies $1.6m annually. In a surprising development the report also shows that Germany has become the biggest spammer in Europe, sending more junk email than Russia, India and China.
Cloudmark expects that as the Internet of Things creates more uses for connected devices and intelligence, criminals will find a way to take advantage for malicious purposes. For example a home security system could be hacked and instructed to unlock a door to allow a thief to enter -- or perhaps lock a victim in. Other possibilities include, spying on conversations, or filming people in the privacy of their homes using smart TVs connected to webcams.
Other predictions are that zero day exploits will become so valuable that they may be deliberately introduced by developers so that friends can claim the bug bounty. The report also forecasts that the UK's Investigatory Powers Bill will cause other major Internet companies to follow Yahoo's lead and move their operations out of the UK to avoid being subject to this law.
The full report is available to download from the Cloudmark website.
Image Credit: underverse /Shutterstock