Bitdefender E-Threats Landscape Reports
The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive investigation of the threats’ landscape. Bitdefender’s security experts thoroughly analyze and examine the menaces of the each semester, focusing on software vulnerabilities and exploits, different types of malware, as well as countermeasures, cyber crime prevention and law enforcement.The E-Threats Landscape Report concentrates mainly on the latest trends, but it also contains facts and data and concerning the previously investigated periods, as well as several predictions related to the upcoming semesters.This document is primarily intended for IT&C System’s Security Managers, System and Network Administrators, Security Technology Developers, Analysts, and Researchers, but it also addresses issues pertaining to a broader audience, like small organizations or individual users concerned about the safety and integrity of their networks and systems.
H2 2011 E-Threat Landscape Report - Overview
Twenty years ago, a revolutionary means of electronic communication was born. It would become so popular with all ages and professions that it is still the most used data communication mechanism even today: introducing the SMS – the short message service.
Today, mobile phones are more than bulky gadgets that can move voice and messages from one point to another: they are must-have gear in a World 2.0 – so powerful and so complex, running their own operating systems and, consequently, facing their share of cyber-trouble. While the first six months of 2011 were marked by software vulnerabilities and high-profile data breaches, the second half cast the spotlight on not only a new family of malware, but also uncovered a user espionage scandal that apparently involved an array of mobile phone carriers and the controversial software vendor CarrierIQ.
The malware landscape was dominated by Trojan.Autorun.Inf and Win32.Worm.Downadup, two malicious contenders that have roots in the Windows XP era, but managed to keep their places even though operating system upgrades or applying patches would have solved security issues exploited by these pieces of malware. The top contenders for H2 2011 are Trojan.AutorunInf, Win32.Worm.Downadup, and Exploit.CplLnk.
Data breaches attributed to the Anonymous gang and its satellite hacking groups continued throughout the second half of 2011. Among the most important targets were Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Adidas, RIM, Tiroler Gebietskrankenkasse, Nexon and even the United Nations. Corporate trust also came under close scrutiny, as the DigiNotar incident in H1 2011 exposed unwary users to a massive phishing attack that used stolen digital certificates generated for high-profile institutions and government agencies such as Google, Tor, CIA and Israel’s Secret Service, the Mossad.
Social networks have also played a key role in disseminating malware and spreading fake news about the deaths of high-profile personalities such as Muammar Gaddafi or Steve Jobs. Of particular importance were the malicious campaigns built around the alleged movie of Gaddafi’s execution and the commemorative giveaway in honor of the late Steve Jobs.
Download now the full H2 2011 E-Threat Landscape Report (pdf)
Download now the executive summary H2 2011 E-Threat Landscape Report - Executive Summary (pdf)
Archive
2011
Download now H1 2011 E-Threats Landscape Report - Executive Summary (pdf)
2010
Download now H2 2010 E-Threats Landscape Report - Executive Summary (pdf)
Download now H2 2010 E-Threats Landscape Report (pdf)
Download now H1 2010 E-Threats Landscape Report - Executive Summary (pdf)
Download now H1 2010 E-Threats Landscape Report (pdf)
2009
Download now H1 2009 Malware and Spam Review Executive Summary (pdf)
Download now H1 2009 E-Threats Landscape Report (pdf)
Download now H2 2009 Malware and Spam Review (pdf)
Download now H2 2009 E-Threats Landscape Report - Executive Summary (pdf)
2008
Download now H1 2008 E-Threats Landscape Report (pdf)
Download now H2 2008 E-Threats Landscape Report (pdf)