In 2012, online phishing attacks targeted banks, e-commerce and information services, besides individuals. Will next year be any different? Online attacks are projected to only increase in 2013 with newer forms of threats becoming mainstream, advisories from Internet security software companies say.
Indians ought to be careful of 'ransomware', for instance, which has spread scare in much of Europe and the United States in 2012.
Ramsomeware is a form of online extortion wherein cyber criminals inject malware onto a victim's computer and encrypt files on the system. The files can only be unlocked when the victim pays a ransom.
One ransomware spreading in Europe and the United States currently is called Reveton and the FBI recently issued a warning.
"In 2013, attackers will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it harder to recover once compromised," online security software company Symantec says in an advisory.
The company also sees cyber conflicts between nations becoming the norm next year. "Espionage can be successful and also easily deniable when conducted online. Nations or organised groups of individuals will continue to use cyber tactics in an attempt to damage or destroy the secure information or funds of its targets. In 2013, we will see the cyber equivalent of saber rattling, where nation states, organizations, and even groups of individuals use cyber-attacks to show their strength and "send a message," the company notes.
Jagdish Mahapatra, India Managing Director of another online security software company McAfee, forecasts a rise in targeted attacks. "2012 saw an increased growth in targeted attacks that proved successful in disrupting service and fraudulently obtaining significant amounts of intellectual property. We expect cyber criminals will continue to use this method and as a result, in 2013, we are likely to see significantly more targeted attacks and targeted malware. This type of attack is more difficult to protect against. One disturbing development in this trend across 2012 was that we started to see more targeted attacks that also destroyed evidence of the attack afterwards," he says.
McAfee also sees a rise in non-Windows attacks with Android devices soaring in popularity. "Consumers aren't the only ones at risk of mobile threats. Enterprises, particularly those embracing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), are also at risk. Interestingly, the mobile malware growth rate is similar to what we saw for Windows malware some time ago, which shows it is a genuine threat," Mahapatra adds. In 2012, online phishing attacks targeted banks, e-commerce and information services, besides individuals. Will next year be any different? Online attacks are projected to only increase in 2013 with newer forms of threats becoming mainstream, advisories from Internet security software companies say.
Indians ought to be careful of 'ransomware', for instance, which has spread scare in much of Europe and the United States in 2012.
Ramsomeware is a form of online extortion wherein cyber criminals inject malware onto a victim's computer and encrypt files on the system. The files can only be unlocked when the victim pays a ransom.
One ransomware spreading in Europe and the United States currently is called Reveton and the FBI recently issued a warning.
"In 2013, attackers will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it harder to recover once compromised," online security software company Symantec says in an advisory.
The company also sees cyber conflicts between nations becoming the norm next year. "Espionage can be successful and also easily deniable when conducted online. Nations or organised groups of individuals will continue to use cyber tactics in an attempt to damage or destroy the secure information or funds of its targets. In 2013, we will see the cyber equivalent of saber rattling, where nation states, organizations, and even groups of individuals use cyber-attacks to show their strength and "send a message," the company notes.
Jagdish Mahapatra, India Managing Director of another online security software company McAfee, forecasts a rise in targeted attacks. "2012 saw an increased growth in targeted attacks that proved successful in disrupting service and fraudulently obtaining significant amounts of intellectual property. We expect cyber criminals will continue to use this method and as a result, in 2013, we are likely to see significantly more targeted attacks and targeted malware. This type of attack is more difficult to protect against. One disturbing development in this trend across 2012 was that we started to see more targeted attacks that also destroyed evidence of the attack afterwards," he says.
McAfee also sees a rise in non-Windows attacks with Android devices soaring in popularity. "Consumers aren't the only ones at risk of mobile threats. Enterprises, particularly those embracing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), are also at risk. Interestingly, the mobile malware growth rate is similar to what we saw for Windows malware some time ago, which shows it is a genuine threat," Mahapatra adds.
Cybercrime hit 42 mn Indians in 2011
The report, which is the result of one of the world's largest consumer cyber crime studies, estimates that 42 million Indians have become victims of cyber attacks in the past 12 months.
The Norton Cyber Crime Report 2012 also says that 66 per cent of net-connected Indian adults have been victims of cybercrime in their lifetime. The report says more that globally there are more that 1,15,000 victims of cybercrime every day that is 80 victims per minute.
The average daily financial cost per victim is $192, up from $163 last year.
David Hall, Regional Consumer Product Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, Norton By Symantec, said cyber criminals are constantly evolving and are now focusing their energies on popular social networking platforms. "Their success is also fuelled by our love for free mobile apps and our unfounded trust of links posted by friends on social networks," he said.
Hall says most people make themselves and their friends vulnerable due to their tendency to overshare personal information and links. No wonder then that a fifth of social network users have reported that their accounts have been hacked into.
In India, 32 per cent of online adults have been victims of social or mobile cyber crime in the past year - 22 per cent of all social network users have been attacked in some way with 15 per cent becoming links of scams and fake links.
Still, Norton estimates that 14 per cent of social network users don't check links before sharing them with others. On the bright side, 57 per cent of Indian social network users have a security tool to protect against threats on these platforms, this is more than the global number of 44 per cent.
Only 56 per cent online adults in India understand the risk of cyber crime and know how to protect them. And 67 per cent of them realise they have been attacked only when their computer crashes or slows down, says the report. This could be because a similar number of people don't know that malware can actually work in the background stealing your valuable information.
The report found that a fourth of online users still don't use a strong password or change it at regular intervals.
