Trend Micro Q2 2015 Roundup Finds New Threats

In Canada, Lone-wolf gains notoriety, online malware down but macro malware detections nearly double

OTTAWA, Aug. 27, 2015 /CNW/ - The second quarter of 2015 was wrought with high profile vulnerabilities and hacks. Cybercriminals became more inventive in their attack methods to infiltrate and abuse existing technologies that are often overlooked. These developments are analyzed in the Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) Q2 security roundup report released today, "A Rising Tide: New Hacks Threaten Public Technologies." It details the evolution of tools and methods attackers use to get the greatest return on every cybercrime investment.

"In the second quarter, we saw a shift in the threat landscape with cyber criminals becoming more sophisticated and creative, amplifying existing methods of attack, and using them in new ways," said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro.  This quarter demonstrated that the potential damage caused by cyber attacks extends far beyond a simple software bug to hacks of airplanes, smart cars and television stations."

Hackers are taking more strategic approaches, refining their approach and targeting more selective victims to improve their infection rates. This is reflected by the exponential increase in the use of several traditional attack methods, including a 50 percent increase in the integration of the Angler exploit kit, a 67 percent growth in overall exploit kit-related threats, and small businesses on both sides of the US- Canadian border hard, together accounting for over 87% of all worldwide Cryptowall infections.

 The Report also details targeted campaigns using macro malware, new command and control (C&C) servers, and the continued use of newly exploited vulnerabilities and 0-days Pawn Storm. Report highlights include:

• Lone wolf cybercriminals gain notoriety via successful ransomware and PoS attacks
  
  FighterPoS and MalumPoS deployed by solo hackers "Lordfenix" and "Frapstar," along with Hawkeye keylogger attacks, demonstrated that single individuals are capable of making a significant impact in today's threat marketplace. 
  • Canadian Lone-wolf cybercriminal "Frapstar" built a one person criminal enterprise supplying fake Canadian passports and stolen credit card information to other cybercriminals.

• Public-facing websites and mobile devices were threatened in new ways
  
  While threats to software are always present, vulnerabilities in Web apps were proven to be just as dangerous. Attackers will leverage any vulnerability available and custom applications need custom security attention to ensure those entry points are eliminated.
  • Online banking malware in Canada dropped in June 2015 to less than half of what it was in January 2015.
  • The global surge in Macro Malware was reflected in Canada, with macro malware detections in Canada nearly doubling from May 2015 to June 2015

• Hacks causing disruptions to public utilities
  
  Broadcast networks, airplanes, automated vehicular systems and home routers pose not only the risk of malware infections, but physical inconveniences and threats.

 For the complete report, please visit: http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/research-and-analysis/threat-reports/roundup/a-rising-tide-new-hacks-threaten-public-technologies

A blog post regarding the report can also be viewed here: http://blog.trendmicro.com/a-rising-tide-new-hacks-threaten-public-technologies/

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software, strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Built on 26+ years of experience, our solutions for consumers, businesses and governments provide layered data security to protect information on mobile devices, endpoints, gateways, servers and the cloud. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. All of our solutions are powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, and are supported by more than 1,200 threat experts around the globe.  For more information, visit TrendMicro.com.

SOURCE Trend Micro Canada

Beja Rodeck, 905-885-5945, [email protected]