Trend Micro's Q3 Security Roundup Details Unprecedented Vulnerabilities and New, Sophisticated Techniques
Shellshock revelation, new attacks against mobile and web platforms dissected in quarterly report
OTTAWA, Dec. 2, 2014 /CNW/ - The new critical vulnerability, known as Shellshock, threatened more than half a billion servers and devices worldwide during the third quarter of 2014. This major development, as well as an uptick in volume and sophistication of cyber-attacks, are detailed in Trend Micro Incorporated's (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) latest quarterly security roundup report, "Vulnerabilities Under Attack: Shedding Light on the Growing Attack Surface." The report also reveals the top web platform and mobile app vulnerabilities that have resulted in high-impact attacks on businesses and consumers alike.
"With this fluidity, compromises will continue. As an industry, our role is to educate organizations and consumers about heightened risks as attacks grow in volume and in sophistication," said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. "Understanding that cybercriminals are finding vulnerabilities and potential loopholes in every possible device and platform helps us confront these challenges."
The report dissects vulnerabilities, such as Shellshock, which threatens popular operating systems, including Linux, UNIX and Mac OS X. The surprising discovery of the Shellshock vulnerability emerged after going unnoticed for more than 20 years, suggesting the likelihood of other more long, undiscovered vulnerabilities lurking within with operating systems or applications.
Vulnerabilities in mobile platforms and apps are also proving to be a greater challenge. As in previous quarters, the report cites that significant and critical vulnerabilities were found in mobile platforms, such as Android. Exploit kits were highly utilized in Web platforms and provided cybercriminals another resource to compromise victim's systems.
In an effort to steal credit card information and money, the report also reveals that threat actors are targeting large retailers' Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems to execute massive data breaches. This ongoing practice further indicates that PoS networks are highly accessible and vulnerable. Cyber thieves also utilized updated versions of older versions of popular malware and online banking malware to successfully target victims.
In addition, the Q3 report discloses that while the United States tops the list of countries with the most PoS malware, ransomware, malicious URL sources and visits to malicious sites. Canada was at the bottom of the list. This quarter's report provides expert insight from Trend Micro's threat researchers and evangelists,and includes:
- A summarized threat landscape, complete with statistics and insight
- In-depth information regarding prominent vulnerabilities
- Details about successful attacks against popular web platforms and breakdown of sophisticated attacks that aggressively pursue financial data
- Analysis of security challenges faced by mobile app developers, as well as users
For the complete report, please visit: http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/roundup/
A blog post regarding the report can be viewed here: http://blog.trendmicro.com/vulnerabilities-attack-shedding-light-growing-attack-surface/
About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software, strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Built on 25 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
Media Contact: Claire M. Tallarico, 416 616 9940
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