We found this alarming article on Information Week.
Hackers Will Join Forces With The Mob In 2007, Security Firm Warns
Cybercriminals are expected to become much more organized and connected in the new year, driving zero-day attacks and upping the ante for online crime, according to a new report.
The mob is expected to band together more closely with hackers in 2007 to form a more organized cybercrime community, according to a new report.The beefed-up online crime cooperative will buy, sell, and trade ready-made cyberattack toolkits and exploits using zero-day vulnerabilities, predict analysts at Websense, a Web security company. They also expect Web 2.0 security issues to escalate in the coming year.
“Organized criminals are realizing that the Internet has been a largely untapped resource in terms of generating real profit, until now,” said Dan Hubbard, VP of security research at Websense, in a written statement. “With financial gain on the table, attack methods are improving, and the number of people involved is escalating. Tools and exploits to steal personal, business, and financial information are the hottest commodities for cyber criminals.”
In 2006, cybercrime and the evolution of new cybercriminals were on the rise. Websense predicts that this trend will only increase in the new year, as hackers and organized crime increasingly work together, become more organized, and target their attacks. Because of this, the market for zero-day attack code will become more competitive, and it will drive the number of zero-day attacks and heighten attacks on both clients and servers.
Web 2.0 sites such as MySpace and Wikipedia, which make up an estimated 80% of the top 20 most visited Web sites, are a growing phenomenon and increasingly attractive to cybercriminals. Websense analysts report that Web 2.0 sites, which include social networking sites, are particularly vulnerable to attack because of the constantly changing nature of their content, which is difficult to monitor and secure.
The large population of users and the ability to link users through profiles and networks will lead to more security issues within these communities, the security company reported in its written statement. Social networks aren’t the only targets. According to Websense, business networks are just as vulnerable.
In the face of this most important threat to your business network, Corra realizes you must take whatever measures necessary to secure your company’s Internet operations, databases and proprietary information. But are you also securing your business form within?
While many companies put up surveillance cameras and monitor employee activity on their computers, there are still some who overlook the most obvious and cost effective measure against employee theft of intellectual property. That is the preemployment screening check. The background check.
For just a few bucks you can review a candidate’s past history to best determine if you really want that person as an additional to your work force. In terms of concerns over theft of intellectual property, etc., it is usually best to not just run the criminal background check, but also the credit check and MVR Report. These three searches will often show a behavior pattern that will reveal if someone is either prone to theft of susceptible to outside influences that would either bribe or coerce him into committing crimes against your company.
Running background checks on your job candidates and in some cases your present employees is simply too important to ignore. So remember to take Corra’s advice and check them out before you hire.
