Seven 2013 Cybersecurity Predictions From Websense Security Labs

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- From mass compromises of Wordpress to a spear-phishing attack on the White House, there is no doubt cybercriminals gained confidence and momentum in 2012. To help organizations prepare for next year, the Websense® Security Labs™ today announced seven predictions for the 2013 threat landscape. The full report can be found here, which includes in-depth articles on mobile security, email security and Java exploits. Highlights include:

1.    Mobile devices will be the new target for cross-platform threats.

The top three mobile platforms cybercriminals will target are Windows 8, Android and iOS. Web-based cross platform exploits will make it easier. In 2013, threats to Microsoft mobile devices will see the highest rate of growth. Cybercriminals are similar to legitimate application developers in that they focus on the most profitable platforms. As development barriers are removed, mobile threats will be able to leverage a huge library of shared code. Attacks will also continue to increasingly use social engineering lures to capture user credentials on mobile devices.  

2.    Cybercriminals will use bypass methods to avoid traditional sandbox detection.

More organizations are utilizing virtual machine defenses to test for malware and threats. As a result, attackers are taking new steps to avoid detection by recognizing virtual machine environments. Some potential methods will attempt to identify a security sandbox, just as past attacks targeted specific AV engines and turned them off. These advanced attacks will remain hidden until they are sure they aren't in a virtual security environment.

3.    Legitimate mobile app stores will host more malware in 2013.

Malicious apps will increasingly slip through validation processes. They will continue to pose risks to organizations enabling bring your own device (BYOD) policies. In addition, jail-broken/rooted devices and non-sanctioned app stores will pose significant risk to enterprises as more allow BYOD.

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