Emerging threats to business security

Now more than ever, businesses need to be concerned about the security of their networks. The
number, variety and strength of the threats to computer and network security have dramatically increased and businesses need to be prepared against an ever-changing landscape of malware attacks. Traditional security providers are focused on protecting computer applications. While this is certainly still important, today’s biggest threats – as well as the most prominent emerging threats – are targeted at the emerging online lifestyle. With computer literacy increasing dramatically and the line between private and business use of computers and networks blurring, businesses need to keep a close eye on their employee’s activities on their company networks and ensure that their network security is not at stake.

In 2007, malware became one of the leading threats to network security. Malware is in constant flux and the only discernible trend right now is toward creating variants on existing pieces of malware, with ever-improving stealth capabilities and using them in more targeted attacks. There are numerous documented cases recently of targeted malware attacks against businesses (usually employing infected MSOffice files, though other techniques were also used). In each case, the malware used was written specifically for the occasion and saw little spreading beyond the initially-affected companies. As malware continues its surprise attacks, businesses should be on guard, especially as malware becomes increasingly sophisticated and continues to strike where businesses thought they were safe. An area of significant concern for increasing malware attacks is in mobile devices. The use of smartphone technology has played a pivotal role in the threat's transition from multifunction, semistationary PCs to palm-sized "wearable" devices. The recent trend towards providing mobile devices with web browsers and always-on internet access has brought all the security concerns of the web to the mobile world and their connected enterprises. Viruses based on browser exploits will become common. As capabilities expand, security is traded for functionality, giving rise to a whole new class of opportunities for malicious attacks. Much like viruses on a computer, viruses on mobile devices can delete files, infect files, send private information from the mobile device, facilitate external attacks and/or drain the battery.