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<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=452><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>Published April 26, 2010
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>S'pore a growing platform for cyber attacks on region
Symantec says rising level in social networking, Internet penetration and crimeware kit availability are possible reasons for the trend, reports ONG BOON KIAT
SINGAPORE was the sixth largest source of cyber attacks that targeted computers and networks in Asia-Pacific last year, up from 14th place in 2008, according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report by Symantec.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Vulnerable: The use of Internet phones via the computer can open the users to viruses and bugs. Countries with a mature Internet infrastructure and high broadband penetration provide attackers with the necessary network bandwidth required to launch phishing and spam attacks </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>While Singapore still accounted for only 4 per cent of attacks picked up by Symantec's sensors across the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, the proportion doubled from the year before.
Greater connectivity among people here through social networking, increased Internet penetration and the availability of more crimeware kits could explain why attackers were using Singapore as a launch pad for attacks into the region, said Tan Yuh Woei, Symantec's Singapore country manager.
'Increased connectivity is often accompanied with increased security and identity risks. Many social networking sites link to external sites and allow access to third party applications. Coupled with the goldmine of personal information available on such sites, it is a valuable avenue for malicious attackers to leverage,' he said in an interview with BizIT.
By Symantec's definition, an attack denotes any malicious activity carried out over a network that has been detected by a firewall, intrusion detection or prevention systems.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>[FONT=Geneva, Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]<!-- REPLACE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS WITH YOUR OWN VALUES --><TABLE class=quoteBox border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=144 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>
</TD></TR><TR><TD bgColor=#fffff1><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=124 align=center><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>'Increased connectivity is often accompanied with increased security and identity risks. Many social networking sites link to external sites and allow access to third party applications.'
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Mr Tan cited statistics from the Asia Pacific Digital Marketing Yearbook 2009, which showed that more than 74 per cent of Singaporeans are into online social networking - the highest in the region. And 10.2 per cent of all Internet visits by online users in Singapore are to social networking sites and forums.
The stats show that Singaporeans are web-savvy and keen users of social networking. 'However, this does present security risks as attackers will use social engineering techniques to trick unsuspecting users into divulging their personal information as part of a phishing attack,' he said.
Mr Tan said countries with a mature Internet infrastructure and high broadband penetration appeal to attackers because it provides them with the necessary network bandwidth required to launch phishing and spam attacks. He noted that according to the Internet World Stats, Singapore's Internet penetration was 72.4 per cent as of December 2009, up from the 67.4 per cent in the previous year.
As for crimeware kits. Mr Tan noted that such programs can be easily found in the black market. Some are even available for download at no cost in online forums.
Symantec's findings showed that the US is the largest source of malicious attacks that were aimed at the Asia-Pacific and Japan region in 2009, at 26 per cent. It is followed by Japan, China and South Korea, at 15, 11 and 11 per cent respectively. Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, India, France and the UK round up the top ten list. Symantec did not disclose the total volume of malicious attacks picked up by its sensors in its latest threat report. But it is likely that there were more attacks last year than in 2008, as the security vendor identified twice as many new malicious software programs worldwide last year, at 240 million.
With Singapore's Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) coming online soon, there will be worries that the threat landscape here may worsen in the coming months.
Mr Tan said this ultra-fast digital highway will 'definitely be a draw for malicious attackers, which is why it is important to ensure that the necessary security tools and infrastructure are in place'.
He said that malicious activities typically affects computers hooked to high-speed broadband Internet because the large bandwidth, fast speeds, reliability, and always-on nature of these connections are attractive to attackers.
On a brighter note, Singapore improved on Symantec's ranking of Asia-Pacific and Japan countries according to their levels of malicious activities - falling from 9th place in 2008 to 12th place in 2009.
This could be down to more public-private co-operation and efforts here to combat malicious code activities, Mr Tan said. But with Singapore's business hub status and its growing appeal to global multinationals, he warned that financially-minded attackers will continue to be drawn to Singapore.
Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report gathered data from more than 240,000 sensors in over 200 countries and regions, and also from other sources.
Key findings for 2009 included the growth in Web-based attacks, as well as the increase in targeted-threats that were aimed at enterprises. It also noted that the task of installing security patches continue to be a challenge for many users.
[/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=452 colSpan=2>S'pore a growing platform for cyber attacks on region
Symantec says rising level in social networking, Internet penetration and crimeware kit availability are possible reasons for the trend, reports ONG BOON KIAT
SINGAPORE was the sixth largest source of cyber attacks that targeted computers and networks in Asia-Pacific last year, up from 14th place in 2008, according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report by Symantec.
<TABLE class=picBoxL cellSpacing=2 width=100 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR class=caption><TD>Vulnerable: The use of Internet phones via the computer can open the users to viruses and bugs. Countries with a mature Internet infrastructure and high broadband penetration provide attackers with the necessary network bandwidth required to launch phishing and spam attacks </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>While Singapore still accounted for only 4 per cent of attacks picked up by Symantec's sensors across the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, the proportion doubled from the year before.Greater connectivity among people here through social networking, increased Internet penetration and the availability of more crimeware kits could explain why attackers were using Singapore as a launch pad for attacks into the region, said Tan Yuh Woei, Symantec's Singapore country manager.
'Increased connectivity is often accompanied with increased security and identity risks. Many social networking sites link to external sites and allow access to third party applications. Coupled with the goldmine of personal information available on such sites, it is a valuable avenue for malicious attackers to leverage,' he said in an interview with BizIT.
By Symantec's definition, an attack denotes any malicious activity carried out over a network that has been detected by a firewall, intrusion detection or prevention systems.
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD bgColor=#ffffff>[FONT=Geneva, Helvetica, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]<!-- REPLACE EVERYTHING IN CAPITALS WITH YOUR OWN VALUES --><TABLE class=quoteBox border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=144 align=left><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>
- Tan Yuh Woei,
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>Symantec's Singapore country manager
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD height=39>
The stats show that Singaporeans are web-savvy and keen users of social networking. 'However, this does present security risks as attackers will use social engineering techniques to trick unsuspecting users into divulging their personal information as part of a phishing attack,' he said.
Mr Tan said countries with a mature Internet infrastructure and high broadband penetration appeal to attackers because it provides them with the necessary network bandwidth required to launch phishing and spam attacks. He noted that according to the Internet World Stats, Singapore's Internet penetration was 72.4 per cent as of December 2009, up from the 67.4 per cent in the previous year.
As for crimeware kits. Mr Tan noted that such programs can be easily found in the black market. Some are even available for download at no cost in online forums.
Symantec's findings showed that the US is the largest source of malicious attacks that were aimed at the Asia-Pacific and Japan region in 2009, at 26 per cent. It is followed by Japan, China and South Korea, at 15, 11 and 11 per cent respectively. Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, India, France and the UK round up the top ten list. Symantec did not disclose the total volume of malicious attacks picked up by its sensors in its latest threat report. But it is likely that there were more attacks last year than in 2008, as the security vendor identified twice as many new malicious software programs worldwide last year, at 240 million.
With Singapore's Next Generation National Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) coming online soon, there will be worries that the threat landscape here may worsen in the coming months.
Mr Tan said this ultra-fast digital highway will 'definitely be a draw for malicious attackers, which is why it is important to ensure that the necessary security tools and infrastructure are in place'.
He said that malicious activities typically affects computers hooked to high-speed broadband Internet because the large bandwidth, fast speeds, reliability, and always-on nature of these connections are attractive to attackers.
On a brighter note, Singapore improved on Symantec's ranking of Asia-Pacific and Japan countries according to their levels of malicious activities - falling from 9th place in 2008 to 12th place in 2009.
This could be down to more public-private co-operation and efforts here to combat malicious code activities, Mr Tan said. But with Singapore's business hub status and its growing appeal to global multinationals, he warned that financially-minded attackers will continue to be drawn to Singapore.
Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report gathered data from more than 240,000 sensors in over 200 countries and regions, and also from other sources.
Key findings for 2009 included the growth in Web-based attacks, as well as the increase in targeted-threats that were aimed at enterprises. It also noted that the task of installing security patches continue to be a challenge for many users.
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