India – Nov. 21, 2017:  Cisco® (NASDAQ: CISCO), the worldwide technology leader, and INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, have today announced an agreement to share threat intelligence as the first step in jointly fighting cybercrime.

Headed by INTERPOL’s global cybercrime center, the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) in Singapore, the alliance will see the two organizations develop a coordinated and focused approach to data sharing. This not only will allow for quick threat detection around the world, but also pave the way for potential future collaboration on training and knowledge sharing.

Noboru Nakatani, Executive Director of IGCI, commented: “The exchange of information and expertise between the public and private sectors is vital in combating cybercrime. No country or company can do this alone. INTERPOL’s agreement with Cisco provides us, and law enforcement in our 192 member countries, with access to important cyber-threat information which will help us not only detect attacks but also help prevent them.”

John N. Stewart, Senior Vice President and Chief Security and Trust Officer at Cisco, shared, “As cybercrime continues to escalate around the world, defenders from both the public and private sectors must meet the threat with equal force. Visibility and comprehensive threat intelligence across the cyber domain are critical to enable detection, analysis, and protection against emerging threats. We are pleased to collaborate with INTERPOL to exchange threat intelligence and find other knowledge-sharing opportunities to fight cybercrime globally.”

Naveen Menon, President of Cisco, Southeast Asia, said, “This agreement, signed in Singapore, demonstrates the country’s growing importance in the Asia Pacific region and on the world stage as a center for battling cybercrime and driving cybersecurity innovation. We are part of a diverse region with differing levels of technological maturity. This initiative represents an important step in creating a unified strategy to reduce digital risks and enable economic growth without the fear of digital threats and attacks.”

Cisco’s best-of-breed security offerings and its architectural approach help customers secure their organizations more effectively from the network to the endpoint to the cloud. Cisco’s comprehensive security portfolio is designed to work together to see a threat once, and stop it everywhere, changing the security equation. In addition, Cisco blocks 19.7 billion threats a day through its Collective Security Intelligence, enabled by Cisco Talos, the security intelligence and research group.

Cisco’s agreement with INTERPOL supports the organization’s programs targeting both “pure cybercrime” and cyber-enabled crimes to assist member countries with identifying cyberattacks and their perpetrators.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and Cisco IOS are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

About INTERPOL

INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 192 member countries. Our role is to enable police around the world to work together to make the world a safer place. Our high-tech infrastructure of technical and operational support helps meet the growing challenges of fighting crime in the 21st century.

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Two Leading Security Companies Aim to Improve Security Effectiveness for Customers Through Technology Integration, Services and Threat Intelligence Collaboration

India – June 01, 2017 – Cisco and IBM Security today announced they are working together to address the growing global threat of cybercrime. In a new agreement, Cisco and IBM Security will work closely together across products, services and threat intelligence for the benefit of customers.

Cisco® security solutions will integrate with IBM’s QRadar to protect organizations across networks, endpoints and cloud. Customers will also benefit from the scale of IBM Global Services support of Cisco products in their Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) offerings. The agreement also establishes a new relationship between the IBM X-Force and Cisco Talos security research teams who will begin collaborating on threat intelligence research and coordinating on major cybersecurity incidents.

One of the core issues impacting security teams is the proliferation of security tools that do not communicate or integrate. A recent Cisco survey of 3,000 chief security officers found that 65 percent of their organizations use between six and 50 different security products. Managing such complexity is challenging over-stretched security teams and can lead to potential gaps in security. The Cisco and IBM Security relationship is focused on helping organizations reduce the time required to detect and mitigate threats, offering organizations integrated tools to help them automate a threat response with greater speed and accuracy.

“In cybersecurity, taking a data-driven approach is the only way to stay ahead of the threats impacting your business,” said Bill Heinrich, Chief Information Security Director, BNSF Railway. “Cisco and IBM working together greatly increases our team’s ability to focus on stopping threats versus making disconnected systems work with each other. This more open and collaborative approach is an important step for the industry and our ability to defend ourselves against cybercrime.”

Integrating Threat Defenses Across Networks and Cloud

The cost of data breaches to enterprises continues to rise. In 2016, the Ponemon Institute found for companies surveyed the cost was at its highest ever at $4 million – up 29 percent over the past three years.  A slow response can also impact the cost of a breach – incidents that took longer than 30 days to contain cost $1 million more than those contained within 30 days. These rising costs make visibility into threats, and blocking them quickly, central to an integrated threat defense approach.

The combination of Cisco’s best-of-breed security offerings and its architectural approach, integrated with IBM’s Cognitive Security Operations Platform, will help customers secure their organizations more effectively from the network to the endpoint to the cloud. As part of the collaboration, Cisco will build new applications for IBM’s QRadar security analytics platform. The first two new applications will be designed to help security teams understand and respond to advanced threats and will be available on the IBM Security App Exchange. These will enhance user experience, and help clients identify and remediate incidents more effectively when working with Cisco’s Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), Next-Generation Intrusion Protection System (NGIPS) and Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) and Threat Grid.

In addition, IBM’s Resilient Incident Response Platform (IRP) will integrate with Cisco’s Threat Grid to provide security teams with insights needed to respond to incidents faster. For example, analysts in the IRP can look up indicators of compromise with Cisco Threat Grid’s threat intelligence, or detonate suspected malware with its sandbox technology. This enables security teams to gain valuable incident data in the moment of response.

“Cisco’s architectural approach to security allows organizations to see a threat once, and stop it everywhere. By combining Cisco’s comprehensive security portfolio with IBM Security’s operations and response platform, Cisco and IBM bring best-of-breed products and solutions across the network, endpoint and cloud, paired with advanced analytics and orchestration capabilities,” said David Ulevitch, SVP and general manager, Cisco Security.

“IBM has long been a proponent of open collaboration and threat sharing in cybersecurity,” said Marc van Zadelhoff, general manager, IBM Security. “With Cisco joining our immune system of defense, joint customers will greatly expand their ability to enhance their use of cognitive technologies like IBM Watson for Cybersecurity. Also, having our IBM X-Force and Cisco Talos teams collaborating is a tremendous advantage for the good guys in the fight against cybercrime.”

Threat Intelligence and Managed Services

IBM X-Force and Cisco Talos research teams will collaborate on security research aimed at addressing the most challenging cybersecurity problems facing mutual customers by connecting their leading experts. For joint customers, IBM will deliver an integration between X-Force Exchange and Cisco’s Threat Grid. This integration greatly expands the historical and real-time threat intelligence that security analysts can correlate for deeper insights.

For example, Cisco and IBM recently shared threat intelligence as part of the recent WannaCry ransomware attacks. The teams coordinated their response and researchers exchanged insights into how the malware was spreading. They continue to collaborate on the investigation to ensure joint customers, and the industry, have the most relevant information.

Through this expanded collaboration, IBM’s Managed Security Services team, which manages security for over 3,700 customers globally, will work with Cisco to deliver new services aimed at further reducing complexity. One of the first offerings is designed for the growing hybrid cloud market. As enterprise customers migrate security infrastructure to public and private cloud providers, IBM Security will provide Managed Security Services in support of Cisco security platforms in leading public cloud services.

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow’s digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco.

Cisco, the Cisco logo, Cisco Systems and Cisco IOS are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

About IBM Security

IBM Security offers one of the most advanced and integrated portfolios of enterprise security products and services. The portfolio, supported by world-renowned IBM X-Force® research, enables organizations to effectively manage risk and defend against emerging threats. IBM operates one of the world’s broadest security research, development and delivery organizations, monitors 35 billion security events per day in more than 130 countries, and holds more than 3,000 security patents. For more information, please visit www.ibm.com/security, follow @IBMSecurity on Twitter or visit the IBM Security Intelligence blog.

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VIENNA, 26 May (UN Information Service) – We must all work together to protect lives and promote peace, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Yury Fedotov, said in a statement today.

“The terrible tragedy in Manchester reminds us that we must remain united against terrorism and violent extremism,” Mr. Fedotov said.

He observed that the Crime Commission opened just as the global ransomware attack started. The cybercrime attack revealed a need to improve responses to transnational organized crime, and emphasized the importance of international cooperation and action to counter crime.

“UNODC is fully engaged in supporting [Member States] to strengthen cooperation and build capacities to meet the many collective challenges we face,” said Mr. Fedotov.

The UNODC Chief’s statement was read by the Director of UNODC’s Division for Treaty Affairs, John Brandolino.

A series of resolutions were also agreed to guide preparations for the 2020 Crime Congress  in Japan, and to promote implementation of the Doha Declaration and help realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In one resolution, the Crime Commission called on all those countries who have not done so to consider ratifying the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on migrant smuggling, trafficking in persons, and the illicit manufacture and trafficking in firearms.

The Crime Commission brings together around 1,000 delegates drawn from Member States, civil society and academia. Over 100 side events were held during the five days of the Crime Commission, as well as numerous exhibitions.

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~Next Generation USG Firewall~

~Ultra-fast protection for next-generation VPN~

New Delhi: August 16, 2016: ZyXEL Communications Corp., the world’s leading networking company providing innovative and dependable Internet solutions, is now offering the ZyXEL ZyWALL 110/310/1100 series VPN Firewalls at a very affordable price range from its prevailing product portfolio, with end to end robust solutions for Security Appliances and Services.

As in today’s world, internet holds the key for smooth running of any business effectively. When sharing, retrieving information or data rapidly increases, the possibility of cybercrime, resulting in network threats, security threats, loss of personal information also becomes an unavoidable challenge. To overcome such potential threats, the ZyXEL ZyWALL 110/310/1100 series VPN Firewalls are designed with multi-core CPUs to deliver the fastest VPN and firewall performance on the market. High-speed networking performance is guaranteed with up to 6 Gbps firewall throughput and 800 Mbps VPN throughput-up to 15x the firewall performance and 4.4x the VPN performance of preceding models. Designed with completely new and advanced hardware platforms, the new ZyWALL Series VPN Firewalls deliver uncompromising performance for high-speed site-to-site and client-to-site VPN applications.

 The ZyXEL USG Extreme Series are Next Generation Firewalls (NGFW) designed to deliver high availability, anti-malware protection and consolidated policy enforcement for medium- to large-sized businesses and campuses. The ZyXEL USGs provides WAN and VPN load balancing and failover ensures nonstop business communications, while incorporating best-in-breed anti-virus, anti-spam, content filtering and application intelligence technology for effective application optimization and comprehensive network protection.

 The USG Series offers Anti-malware protection, deeper inspection, ultra-high performance, broad coverage of VPN applications, to policy with ease, enhanced user experience, non-stop availability features in one box. In addition, the USG Series not only offers complete security license to fulfill your demand but also renders gateway level protection, the USG Series safeguards your organization’s customer and company records, intellectual properties as well as critical resources from both external and internal threats.

With key benefits like Streamlined management, Best TCO for Wi-Fi Expansion, ZyXEL One Network experience, OneSecurity.com etc., ZyWALL Series VPN firewalls are designed to deliver the fastest performance for multi-site deployments simultaneously. Powered by high-performance technology and a hardware-based encryption accelerator, the ZyXEL USG Series delivers industry-leading performance and multilayer threat protection for small businesses and enterprises. With Robust hybrid VPN (IPSec and SSL), the ZyXEL USG Series can provide secure access between remote locations and corporate resources through the Internet for organizations of any size. With a granular control over social networking application, ZyXEL USG also provides anti spam and content filtering services.

Salient Features

• Multi-WAN & Mobile Broadband
• Robust VPN
• VPN High Availability (HA)
• Integrated WLAN Controller
• Unified Security Policy
• Application Intelligence
• Anti-Virus
• Anti-Spam
• SSL Inspection
• Content Filtering
• ZyXEL One Network Utility

Pricing and Availability:

These high performance Unified Security gateway devices are available with the authorized distributors of ZyXEL in India and are backed by 2 years warranty. For more information on pricing and availability for USG 110/310/1100 Series, visit http://www.zyxel.com/in/en/form/where_to_buy.shtml

ZyXEL Communications Corp.

Founded in 1989, ZyXEL Communications Corp. is a world-class networking company providing innovative and dependable Internet solutions. As one of the early modem manufacturers, ZyXEL has built a strong reputation in the fast-paced networking industry. Delivering cutting-edge communications innovations to more than 400,000 businesses and 100 million consumers worldwide, today ZyXEL is one of the few companies in the world capable of offering complete networking solutions for Telcos, SMBs, and residential users for a wide range of deployment scenarios. Telco solutions include Central Office Equipment, Customer Premises Equipment, Wired and Wireless Access Network Devices, and Carrier Switches. SMB and Enterprise solutions include Unified Security Gateways, LAN Switches, WLAN, and IP Telephony. Digital Home solutions include Network Connectivity Devices and Multimedia Solutions. With a strong local presence in 150 markets around the world, ZyXEL is the ideal partner to deliver world-class solutions to meet your local needs. For more information, visit http://www.zyxel.com/in/en

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PA Consulting Group’s research and analyst forecasts suggest more training and skills are required to cope with online security threats

Dubai, UAE, 3 February 2015: Investment in information communication technology to counter cyber threats is at record levels within the Gulf, yet a leading expert from PA Consulting Group has warned that the challenges faced by police forces here and worldwide remain high.

Paul Ellis, IT security expert at PA Consulting Group, has said that while technology can and will assist in the defence of online security attacks, the profile of policing resources must also change to assure cyber-criminal activity is detected and disrupted.

A recent report issued by PA in the UK reported that police analysts forecast the time spent on cybercrime will treble over the next three years but only 30 per cent believe they have the skills and tools to tackle the threats effectively.

Recent procurement activity by a number of Middle East states suggests that there remains a significant gap in counter-cyber capability.  Ellis warns: “This is not a problem for which you can ‘buy’ a technical tool as the solution.  Tools and technology will help but specialist teams need to be recruited, trained and maintained in order to make a long-lasting impact.”

“Awareness campaigns have also helped raise public and institutional focus on how technology and data is protected and used.    But the skills and expertise required are quite different to traditional policing activity and must be continually refreshed and renewed to keep pace with criminal capacity and intent.”

The survey commissioned by PA in the UK found that the police there are ill prepared to cope with today’s digital environment and only 15% of analysts think cybercrime is specifically measured within their organisation, meaning the challenge may be even tougher than imagined.

Recognising that cybercrime does not respect national borders, PA is warning police forces within the GCC and wider Middle East region that an international perspective should be adopted, monitoring activities around the world as well as those presenting domestic threats.

Ellis added: “This is not a threat that police can address alone.  Organisations and individuals must assume a responsibility to assure that their behaviours and use of technology does not present a soft target for cyber criminals.

“Advances in communications technologies are an integral part of society and brings great social and commercial value to businesses and consumers alike.  They do, however, also provide a channel that can be used by organised and informal criminal groups.  It is important that police and security services recognise the threats posted by these widely accessible technologies.

“This will require new skills and approaches within police and security organisations using advanced monitoring and analytics to not only investigate, detect and prosecute those responsible for cybercrime but also disrupt and deter criminal activity before it causes harm.”

PA Consulting Group has been operating in the Gulf region for the last 30 years, successfully delivering more than 150 projects in 13 Middle Eastern countries, across sectors including financial services, transport, energy, government, defence and security, healthcare, education and manufacturing.

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India, 20 November 2014 – McAfee, now part of Intel Security, and Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brings together Intel Security expertise with EC3’s law enforcement skills in the war against cybercrime.

Intel Security and EC3’s combined resources and expertise will offer increased defense against the growing cybercrime threat. The agreement, enables the two entities to engage in joint operations to address identified cybercriminal campaigns, and allows for participation in events to share best practices as well as the ability to exchange non-operational data related to cybercrime.  The MoU will also allow for Intel Security to provide specific technical information on cyber-attacks to Europol.

“Cybercrime has advanced to a degree that no one entity can combat it alone,” said Raj Samani, chief technology officer for EMEA at Intel Security and special  advisor to the EUROPOL Cybercrime Centre on Internet Security . “I’m excited to work with the excellent team Europol and contribute expertise so that we can together to effectively address the cybercrime problem.”

Troels Oerting, Head of the EC3 said: “Today we add the resources of Intel Security to our list of capabilities dedicated to protecting our digital lives. This task cannot be done by law enforcement alone, and requires a much broader approach. Intel Security has assisted the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) in the past and, with the signing of this MoU, our cooperation will continue to the benefit of all law-abiding users of the Internet and to the disadvantage of cybercriminals.”

About Intel Security

McAfee is now part of Intel Security. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence, Intel Security is intensely focused on developing proactive, proven security solutions and services that protect systems, networks, and mobile devices for business and personal use around the world. Intel Security is combining the experience and expertise of McAfee with the innovation and proven performance of Intel to make security an essential ingredient in every architecture and on every computing platform. Intel Security’s mission is to give everyone the confidence to live and work safely and securely in the digital world. www.intelsecurity.com.

About Europol

Europol is the law enforcement agency of the European Union, whose aim is to help achieve a safer Europe by supporting EU law enforcement agencies in their fight against serious international crime and terrorism. Part of this work is undertaken by the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) which is hosted at Europol in The Hague and draws on Europol’s existing infrastructure and law enforcement network to provide EU cybercrime teams with operational support, coordination and expertise to carry out cybercrime investigations.

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Intelligence-Aware Security Controls Leverage Information across Distributed Security Solutions to Accelerate Threat Discovery and Remediation

India, Oct 16 – Today McAfee, part of Intel Security, announced the latest release of McAfee Next Generation Firewall, which now seamlessly integrates with several key McAfee solutions and technologies, offering businesses and government agencies an ever-expanding ecosystem of threat defenses.  Important new integrations with the McAfee Security Connected framework provide McAfee Next Generation Firewall customers with layered protection against the latest threats and evasions, along with improved workflows and operational efficiencies.

“Earlier this year, McAfee outlined our game-changing approach to strengthening network security through a powerful combination of integrated technologies,” said Pat Calhoun, general manager of network security at McAfee, part of Intel Security.  “This release represents another significant milestone in bringing that strategy to fruition and further empowers our customers with the tools they need to outmaneuver attackers with even greater ease and precision.”

A recent Vanson Bourne study commissioned by McAfee revealed that companies with multiple, siloed security solutions often present security postures that are easily compromised, putting them at greater risk for a data breach. According to the study in UK, France, Germany and the US, 43% of IT decision makers at large companies (more than 1,000 employees) believe that point security solutions that don’t share information can lead to threats going unnoticed. Nearly half (46%) stated that siloed security also causes their IT departments to spend too much time manually discovering and remediating threats.

Utilizing actionable endpoint information from McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator, McAfee Next Generation Firewall customers will now see operational efficiency benefits with valuable insights into endpoint security postures and simplified administrative workflows when investigating incidents.  Integration with McAfee Enterprise Security Manager improves security posture, reduces event response times, and enables continuous monitoring and alerting of compliance status.  McAfee Advanced Threat Defense integration provides real time protection against rapidly mutating malware and zero-day attacks.  And lastly, reputation intelligence from McAfee Global Threat Intelligence enables McAfee Next Generation Firewall to provide superior protection against globally active advanced threats and malware.

“Today our customers require network security solutions that can keep pace with the way advanced attacks are now orchestrated, all with minimal complexity and an affordable price tag,” said Neil Campbell, Group General Manager, Security at Dimension Data.  “With its Security Connected framework, McAfee is aiming to address each of these requirements as it brings its entire ecosystem of security technologies together and now incorporates a true next generation firewall.”

McAfee Next Generation Firewall protects enterprise networks with high-performance “intelligence aware” security supported by real-time updates from McAfee’s Security Connected ecosystem. This enables McAfee to deliver a leading-edge defense against advanced evasions, along with complete next generation firewall protections “when and where you need it” – remote sites, branch offices, data centers and the network edge.

McAfee Next Generation Firewall starts with a solid foundation of protections including granular application control, intrusion prevention system, built-in virtual private network and deep packet inspection – all in an efficient, extensible and highly scalable unified design. Then McAfee adds powerful anti-evasion technologies that decode and normalize network traffic – before inspection and across all protocol layers – in order to expose and block the most advanced attack methods.

For more information on McAfee Next Generation Firewall, visit: http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/next-generation-firewall.aspx

 About Intel Security

McAfee is now part of Intel Security. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence, Intel Security is intensely focused on developing proactive, proven security solutions and services that protect systems, networks, and mobile devices for business and personal use around the world. Intel Security combines the experience and expertise of McAfee with the innovation and proven performance of Intel to make security an essential ingredient in every architecture and on every computing platform. Intel Security’s mission is to give everyone the confidence to live and work safely and securely in the digital world. www.intelsecurity.com

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Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is independent, impartial and not tied to any interests. It cooperates closely with all leading international organizations ( www.weforum.org ).

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Underground Market Supports Point-of-Sale Cybercrime from Coding to Monetization; Digitally Signed Malware Triples in 2013 through Content Distribution Networks

India – March 10, 2014 – McAfee Labs today released the McAfee Labs Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2013, highlighting the role of the “dark web” malware industry as a key enabler of the high-profile point-of-sale (POS) attacks and data breaches in the fall of 2013. The report brings to light the growing ease of purchasing POS malware online, and selling stolen credit card numbers and other personal consumer data online. McAfee Labs also saw the number of digitally signed malware samples triple over the course of 2013, driven largely by the abuse of automated Content Distribution Networks (CDNs) that wrap malicious binaries within digitally signed, otherwise legitimate installers. McAfee Labs believes this accelerating trend could pose a significant threat to the long-established certificate authority (CA) model for authenticating “safe” software.

Detailed research of the high-profile Q4 credit card data breaches found that the POS malware used in the attacks were relatively unsophisticated technologies likely purchased “off the shelf” from the Cybercrime-as-a-Service community, and customized specifically for these attacks. McAfee Labs’ ongoing research into underground “dark web” markets further identified the attempted sale of stolen credit card numbers and personal information known to have been compromised in the Q4 retail breaches. The researchers found the thieves offering for sale some of the 40 million credit card numbers reported stolen in batches of between 1 million and 4 million at a time.

“The fourth quarter of 2013 will be remembered as the period when cybercrime became ‘real’ for more people than ever before,” said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president for McAfee Labs. “These cyber thefts occurred at a time when most people were focused on their holiday shopping and when the industry wanted people to feel secure and confident in their purchases. The impact of these attacks will be felt both at the kitchen table as well as the boardroom table.  For security practitioners, the ‘off the shelf’ genesis of some of these crime campaigns , the scale of operations, and the ease of digitally monetizing stolen customer data all represent a coming of age for both Cybercrime-as-a-Service and the ‘dark web’ overall.”

By the end of 2013, McAfee Labs saw the number of malicious signed binaries in our database triple, to more than 8 million suspicious binaries. In the fourth quarter alone, McAfee Labs found more than 2.3 million new malicious signed applications, a 52 percent increase from the previous quarter.  The practice of code signing software validates the identity of the developer who produced the code and ensures the code has not been tampered with since the issue of its digital certificate.

Although the total number of signed malware samples includes stolen, purchased, or abused certificates, the vast majority of growth is due to dubious CDNs. These are websites and companies that allow developers to upload their programs, or a URL that links to an external application, and wrap it in a signed installer.

The McAfee Labs team warns that the growing number of maliciously signed files could create confusion among users and administrators, and even call into question the continued viability of the CA model for code signing.

“Although the expansion of the CA and CDN industries has dramatically lowered the cost of developing and issuing software for developers, the standards for qualifying the identity of the publisher have also decreased dramatically,” said Weafer. “We will need to learn to place more trust in the reputation of the vendor that signed the file, and less trust in the simple presence of a certificate.”

Additional Q4 2013 Findings

• Mobile malware. McAfee Labs collected 2.47 million new mobile samples in 2013, with 744,000 in the fourth quarter alone. Our mobile malware zoo of unique samples grew by an astounding 197 percent from the end of 2012.

• Ransomware. The volume of new ransomware samples rose by 1 million new samples for the year, doubling in number from Q4 2012 to Q4 2013.

• Suspicious URLs. McAfee Labs recorded a 70 percent increase in the number of suspect URLs in 2013.

• Malware proliferation. In 2013, McAfee Labs found 200 new malware samples every minute, or more than three new threats every second.

• Master boot record-related. McAfee Labs found 2.2 million new MBR-attacks in 2013.

Each quarter, the McAfee Labs team of 500 multidisciplinary researchers in 30 countries follows the complete range of threats in real time, identifying application vulnerabilities, analyzing and correlating risks, and enabling instant remediation to protect enterprises and the public.

To read the full McAfee Labs Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2013, please visit: http://mcaf.ee/qw7fe

About McAfee Labs
McAfee Labs is the world’s leading source for threat research, threat intelligence, and cybersecurity thought leadership. The McAfee Labs team of 500 researchers collects threat data from millions of sensors across key threat vectors—file, web, message, and network. It then performs cross-vector threat correlation analysis and delivers real-time threat intelligence to tightly integrated McAfee endpoint and network security products through its cloud-based McAfee Global Threat Intelligence service. McAfee Labs also develops core threat detection technologies—such as McAfee DeepSAFE technology, application profiling, and graylist management—that are incorporated into the broadest security product portfolio in the industry. http://www.mcafee.com/us/mcafee-labs.aspx

About McAfee

McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation, empowers businesses, the public sector, and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. McAfee delivers proactive and proven security solutions and services for systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence network, McAfee is relentlessly focused on keeping its customers safe. More information is available at www.mcafee.com

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India has been recognized as one of the fastest growing internet and mobile market globally. With over 137 million internet users in India, 7 out of 10 users access internet through mobile. Additionally, India grew its social media user base from 38 million in 2011 to 60 million in 2012, making both mobile and social media platforms a preferred site for cybercrime attacks.

Cybercriminals are constantly changing their tactics to target both these fast-growing platforms where consumers are less aware of security risks. This fast paced change has impacted individuals with loss of data, identities and finances to name a few. According to the Norton Cybercrime Report 2012, in India, it is estimated that more than 42 million people fell victim to cybercrime in the past twelve months, suffering approximately US $8 billion in direct financial losses.

Looking ahead

Many of us at Symantec and Norton have been putting our heads together to predict some of what we can expect to see in 2013. Of the predictions we’ve come up with, I want to draw your attention in particular to two: the likelihood that cyber terrorism will get highly personal as attacks focus on individuals or minority groups and the possibility that new electronic payment methods could be vulnerable to hacks and breaches.

While these predictions are based on what is seen today, they also reflect where things are going based on years of expertise, understanding of threat evolution, and experience in previous cyber security trends.

Cyber conflict becomes the norm – Conflicts between nations, organizations, and individuals will play a key role in the cyber world. Espionage can be successful and also easily deniable when conducted online. Any nation state not understanding this has been given many examples in the last two years. Nations or organized groups of individuals will continue to use cyber tactics in an attempt to damage or destroy the secure information or funds of its targets. In 2013, we will see the cyber equivalent of saber rattling, where nation states, organizations, and even groups of individuals will use cyber-attacks to show their strength and “send a message.” Additionally, we expect more targeted attacks on individuals and non-government organizations, such as supporters of political issues and members of minority groups in conflict.

Ransomware is the new scareware – Ransomware is a type of malicious software that disables the functionality of a computer and demands a ransom in order to restore the computer to its original state. While this “business model” has been tried before, it suffered from the same limitations of real life kidnapping: there was never a good way to collect the money. Cybercriminals have now discovered a solution to this problem: using online payment methods. They can now use force instead of flimflam to steal from their targets. As it is no longer necessary to con people into handing over their money, we can expect the extortion methods to get harsher and more destructive. In 2013, attackers will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it harder to recover once compromised.

Madware adds to the insanity– Mobile adware, or “madware,” is a nuisance that disrupts the user experience and can potentially expose location details, contact information, and device identifiers to cybercriminals. Madware, which sneaks onto a user device when they download an app—often sends pop-up alerts to the notification bar adds icons, changes browser settings, and gathers personal information. In just the past nine months, the number of apps including the most aggressive forms of madware has increased by 210 percent. Because location and device information can be legitimately collected by advertising networks, it helps them target users with appropriate advertising and we expect increased use in madware as more companies seek to drive revenue growth through mobile ads. This includes a more aggressive and potentially malicious approach towards the monetization of “free” mobile apps.

Monetization of social networks introduces new dangers– As consumers, we place a high level of trust in social media—from the sharing of personal details, to spending money on game credits, to gifting items to friends. While E-payments have so far been adopted slowly by consumers but with the addition of payment methods in social media, we expect to see e-payments grow in popularity in 2013. And where there’s money, there will surely be cybercriminals following right behind to rip us off. Most likely we’ll see socially spread malware that takes over the user’s account, re-sets passwords and uses the encrypted but stored credit card information to make real world purchases for the crooks. While providing non-financial information might seem innocuous, cybercriminals sell and trade this information with one another to combine with information they already have about you, helping them create a profile of you they can use to gain access to your other accounts.

As users shift to mobile and cloud, so will attackers– Attackers will go where users go, and this continues to be to mobile devices and the cloud. It should come as no surprise that mobile platforms and cloud services will be likely targets for attacks and breaches in 2013. The rapid rise of Android malware in 2012 confirms this. As users add applications to their phones they will pick up malware. Some mobile malware duplicates old threats, like stealing information from devices. Today mobile malware sends premium text messages to accounts that bad guys can profit from. According to Norton Cybercrime Report 2012, in India 31% of mobile users have received unsolicited SMS text asking them to call back an unknown number or click on an embedded link. To exacerbate the problem, much of this mobile Internet usage is being handled by unsecure mobile applications which bring additional risk to the table. 2013 you can be sure mobile technology will continue to advance and thereby create new opportunities for cybercriminals.

Sources: WeareSocial; Norton Cybercrime Report 2012; Internet and Mobile Association of India

The post 2013: Cybercrime to go mobile and social : David Hall, Regional Consumer Product Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, Norton by Symantec appeared first on Core Sector Communique.