Web scammers target attacks
4 August 2005
Internet criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the way they carry out online attacks, according to new research.
A survey by IBM found that net scammers are now targeting attacks at specific organisations, such as government departments, financial services, manufacturing and healthcare businesses.
Criminals are increasingly turning from spam to the often more lucrative world of phishing, or the process of tricking web users into divulging sensitive information online. The study found that the ratio of spam to legitimate email fell from 83 per cent in January to 67 per cent in June.
The IBM Global Business Security Index recorded 35 million phishing attacks over the first six months of 2005, while targeted attacks on a specific organisation (spear phishing) rose more than tenfold between January and June.
IBM reports that there were 237 million security attacks in the first half of 2005, 137 million of which were targeted at government departments, financial services, manufacturing and healthcare businesses, the BBC reports. The technology firm found that the average of one in 52 emails infected with some form of malicious security threat rose to one in 28 by June.
"To protect their critical data, infrastructure, brands and money IBM advises businesses to rethink how they protect their operations, business processes and governance structures," said John Lutz, general manger of Financial Services at IBM.
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