Expect more targeted attacks, crimeware: Trend Micro

• Retail and financial institutions outside the US will feel wrath of cybercriminals in 2015
• Cybercriminals will turn to darknets and exclusive forums to share and sell crimeware

TARGETED attacks will become rampant in more countries as hackers have found success targeting victims around the world, according to Trend Micro Inc.
 
In the most recent edition of its annual security predictions report, Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2015 and Beyond: The Invisible Becomes Visible, the company said that targeted attacks campaigns will continue to multiply in 2015, after cybercriminals had noteworthy breaches via targeted attacks in the United States and China.
 
In a statement, Trend Micro said its threat defence experts predict hackers within countries such as Vietnam, the United Kingdom and India will pursue the use of targeted attacks, and this will result in attacks against non-traditional countries like seen recently against Malaysia- and Indonesia-based organisations.
 
“What we are seeing today is not a huge surprise but rather the velocity and brutal measures cybercriminals are using to steal information,” said Victor Lo (pic above), regional consulting director, South-East Asia Region, Trend Micro.
 
“Following the success of targeted attacks from Chinese and Russian cybercriminals, many hackers from other countries will regard cyber-attacks as a more practical method to grab a foothold in an organisation.
 
“Additionally, with the incessant barrage of data breaches emerging almost daily, it’s reasonable to presume that data breaches will be essentially regarded as a common offshoot of the present threat landscape,” he added.
 
Threats around banking will continue to become more severe as more unique cybercrime attacks against financial institutions also emerge. Financial and banking intuitions must implement two-factor authentication for online services, Trend Micro said.
 
“The payment ecosystem will continue to evolve,” said Lo. “Massive transformation is upon us and we will continue to see threat actors trying to manipulate Near Field Communications (NFC) as certain platforms gain momentum due to their significant following and user’s penchant for adopting the latest and greatest technology.”
 
Highlights from the 2015 predications report include:

• More cybercriminals will turn to darknets and exclusive-access forums to share and sell crimeware.

• Increased cyber-activity will translate to better, bigger, and more successful hacking tools and attempts.

• Exploits kits will target Android, as mobile vulnerabilities play a bigger role in device infection.

• Targeted attacks will become as prevalent as cybercrime.

• New mobile payment methods will introduce new threats.

• We will see more attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in open source apps.

• Technological diversity will save Internet of Everything devices from mass attacks but the same won’t be true for the data they process.

• More severe online banking and other financially motivated threats will surface.

The Trend Micro Security Predictions for 2015 also include a continued increase in the exploitation of smart devices such as smart cameras, appliances and TVs as cybercriminals become more aggressive at targeting these platforms as well as the organisations which manage the data.
 
As factors like market pressure push device manufacturers to launch more smart devices sans security in mind, so will attackers increasingly find vulnerabilities to exploit for their own gain.
 
“Smart homes and home automation will continue to proliferate across the globe, further increasing all of our attack surfaces,” said Lo.
 
“As such, smart device manufactures must consider how to secure the data that resides in these devices not just the devices themselves.”
 
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