Security threats for 2009 named

Smartphones will be increasingly targeted by cybercriminals in 2009, according to security software company Kaspersky Lab. The company predicts that the popularity of the iPhone, coupled with the launch of the Google Android, will spur criminals to concentrate more on attacking smartphones. "Mobile phones are following the same evolutionary trajectory as PCs, which in the space of 10 years moved from unwieldy, expensive modem connectivity to high-speed, fixed price internet access," said a Kaspersky spokesperson. "Once this leap has been made, cybercriminals won’t be resting on their laurels. Mobile phones will also be corralled into botnets, just as has happened with PCs." Magnus Kalkuhl, a member of the Kaspersky Lab Global Research and Analysis Team, thinks smartphone attacks will eventually become commonplace. "Although mobile malware in 2009 is likely to be limited in scope and volume, by 2010 the situation will be far more serious, and in five years time – at the latest – mobile malware will sadly have become part of daily life." Kaspersky also expects an increase in attacks using social-networking sites, following the success of the Koobface worm. According to Kalkuhl, criminals target social-networking sites because of the users' trustworthiness and the sites' slowness in responding to security flaws. "On the one hand, users are very open and trust these sites, which causes them to lower their guards," he said. "On the other hand, vulnerabilities in these sites are often left open for significant periods of time, making it easy for hackers to take full advantage of security loopholes." Kalkuhl also expects the old method of spreading malicious code via email to nearly disappear in 2009. "Today, threats are mainly spread via links and, when the user clicks on them, malware will be downloaded to his or her machine", Kalkuhl said. "The malicious program can then start its nasty tricks, whether that’s logging keystrokes, stealing someone’s ID, or downloading even more malware." How to remove the Koobface worm Save up to £16 a year this Christmas when you subscribe to Web User!