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AVG Unveils Global Community Powered Threat Report - Q3-2011
AMSTERDAM, October 11, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
Pickpocketing Digital Currency the new gold mine, criminals
outsourcing money collecting to mobile operators and eavesdropping on
Android
AVG Technologies, a leading provider of internet and mobile security,
today presents the "AVG Community Powered Threat Report - Q3 2011",
providing insight, background and analysis on the trends and developments in
the global online security threat landscape. Highlights in this quarter's
report are the risks of digital wallets, using mobile phone operators to
collect money and how an Android Trojan records your calls.
- Last month, Keith Alexander, director of the US National
Security Agency told attendees of the "Maneuvering in Cyberspace"
conference that the global cost of cybercrime is estimated to be US$1
trillion. (1*)
- Last week, the PCeU -the e-crime unit of the Metropolitan
Police- reported to have prevented over GBP140 million-worth of
cybercrime in the UK over the last six months alone. (2*)
- A recent report by the Ponemon Institute -a U.S. based
information security policy research center- states that over the past
year, the median cost of cyber crime increased by 56 percent and now
costs companies an average of US$6 million per year. (3*)
Cybercrime has come a long way since it was mostly a digital form of
vandalism. It has developed into a criminal business operated for financial
gain and is now worth billions. In this report AVG focuses on some of the
most notable cybercrime developments in the last quarter.
Stealing digital currency
Digital Currency has become very popular in a short time. Facebook
Credits, Xbox Points, Zynga coins and Bitcoin now play a vital role in a
multibillion dollar global gaming economy. Far from being just of virtual
value, many of these currencies are actively traded for real currency. This
has not gone unnoticed by cyber criminals, now aiming to steal digital
wallets from people's computers. In June a digital wallet containing close
to US$500,000 was stolen when someone broke into the victim's computer and
transferred most, but not all, of the money out of his wallet.
Outsourcing the hard part, collecting the money
In a bid to outsource the hassle and risks of collecting the money,
cyber criminals are moving beyond credit cards details and are increasingly
using mobile phone operators to do the collecting for them. A criminal might
install a Trojan on to a victim's smartphone that sends premium SMS messages
when the owner is asleep. They might use a Facebook scam to get hold of
people's phone numbers and sign them up for an expensive monthly phone
charge. A victim's mobile operator will process the charges and transfer the
money to the criminal organization, even if they reside on the other side of
the world. If and when a victim notices the charge and the mobile operator
is alerted to stop processing payments, considerable amounts may already
have been stolen. If the amounts are small enough, many victims may not even
notice for months.
Eavesdropping on Android
With Android taking almost 50% of the world's smartphone market share,
it is no wonder that cyber criminals consider the platform an attractive
target. Most Android malware focuses on making money from premium SMS.
However, in July AVG investigated a Trojan that records a victim's phone
conversation and SMS messages and sends them to the attacker's servers for
analysis to identify potential confidential data. This clearly demonstrates
the power of modern mobile operating systems but also the tremendous risks
unprotected mobile users are open to.
Other key findings in the report:
- Rogue AV Scanner is currently the most active threat on the
web
- Exploit Toolkits account for over 30% of all threat activity on
malicious websites ('Fragus' is most popular, closely followed by
'Blackhole')
- Angry Birds Rio Unlocker is the most popular malicious Android
application
- The USA is still the largest source of spam, followed by India
and Brazil
"In Q3 we started to see a clear trend in cybercriminals shifting their
focus to simplifying money collection," said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief
Technology Officer, AVG Technologies. "Well-organized criminal gangs are now
letting mobile phone operators handle the money collecting part by focusing
on mobile phones and setting victims up for charges that will appear on
their phone bill some time later. Not only is it a lot easier, it also
scales to tremendous volumes making money by stealing small amounts from
very large groups of victims."
A recent report authored by the research agency The Future Laboratory
(Cybercrime_Futures
[http://www.avg.com/filedir/news/2011_09_09_Future
Poll_Cybercrime_Futures.pdf ]), reveals that while cybercriminals and
malicious programs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to
detect, users are, alarmingly, becoming the weakest link as they are less
vigilant about protecting their online devices. The combination of these two
factors presents a potentially disastrous cybercrime scenario.
JR Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies, said, "It's increasingly evident that
each unprotected individual makes us all more vulnerable, so it's vital that
as a global society we find ways to address this trend and ensure that we
are protected together. We're securing people's digital life, or as we like
to say: Providing Peace of Mind to the Connected World."
About the report
The AVG Community Powered Threat Report is based on the Community
Protection Network traffic and data, collected over a three-month period,
followed by analysis by AVG. It provides an overview of web, mobile devices,
Spam risks and threats. All statistics referenced are obtained from the AVG
Community Protection Network.
The AVG Community Protection Network is an online neighborhood watch,
helping everyone in the community to protect each other. Information about
the latest threats is collected from customers who choose to participate in
the product improvement program and shared with the community to make sure
everyone receives the best possible protection.
AVG has focused on building communities that help millions of online
participants support each other on computer security issues and actively
contribute to AVG's research efforts.
Full Q3 Threat Report: AVG_Community_Powered_Threat_Report_Q3_2011
[http://aa-download.avg.com/filedir/press/AVG_Community_Powered_Threat_Report_Q3_2011.pdf ]
1*
http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/security/3303786/us-needs-to-be-prepared-for-a-big-cyber-attack
2* http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/02/cyber-crime-unit-met-police
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/02/cyber-crime-unit-met-police?newsfeed=true ]
3*
http://www.ponemon.org/blog/post/second-cost-of-cyber-crime-study-is-released-today
About AVG Technologies
AVG is a global security software maker protecting 98 million active
users in 170 countries from the ever-growing incidence of Web threats,
viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. AVG has nearly two
decades of experience in combating cybercrime and advanced laboratories for
detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the
world. AVG has a strong reseller network consisting of resellers, partners
and distributors globally including CNET, Ingram Micro, and Wal-Mart.
Source: http://www.avg.com/press-releases-news
Keep in touch with AVG
- For breaking news, follow AVG on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/officialAVGnews
- For small business security trends analysis, follow the AVG
small business blog at http://small-business.blog.avg.com
- Visit the AVG Business Resource Centre at
http://www.avg.com/us-en/business-resources-center
- Visit the AVG Reseller Center at
https://secure.avg.com/us-en/rc-login
- Join our Facebook community at
http://www.facebook.com/AVGfree
- Join our LinkedIn community LinkedIn [http://bit.ly/AVGSMB ]
Source: AVG Technologies
United States: Jeff Seedman, Ruder Finn for AVG, seedmanj@ruderfinn.com, + 1-415-249-6763; United Kingdom: Lennard van Otterloo, MSL for AVG, Lennard.vanotterloo@mslgroup.com, +44(0)20-7878-3210; Investor Relations: Siobhan MacDermott , AVG Technologies - Investor Relations, siobhan.macdermott@avg.com, +1-415-299-2945
AVG Unveils Global Community Powered Threat Report - Q3-2011
AMSTERDAM, October 11, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
Pickpocketing Digital Currency the new gold mine, criminals
outsourcing money collecting to mobile operators and eavesdropping on
Android
AVG Technologies, a leading provider of internet and mobile security,
today presents the "AVG Community Powered Threat Report - Q3 2011",
providing insight, background and analysis on the trends and developments in
the global online security threat landscape. Highlights in this quarter's
report are the risks of digital wallets, using mobile phone operators to
collect money and how an Android Trojan records your calls.
- Last month, Keith Alexander, director of the US National
Security Agency told attendees of the "Maneuvering in Cyberspace"
conference that the global cost of cybercrime is estimated to be US$1
trillion. (1*)
- Last week, the PCeU -the e-crime unit of the Metropolitan
Police- reported to have prevented over GBP140 million-worth of
cybercrime in the UK over the last six months alone. (2*)
- A recent report by the Ponemon Institute -a U.S. based
information security policy research center- states that over the past
year, the median cost of cyber crime increased by 56 percent and now
costs companies an average of US$6 million per year. (3*)
Cybercrime has come a long way since it was mostly a digital form of
vandalism. It has developed into a criminal business operated for financial
gain and is now worth billions. In this report AVG focuses on some of the
most notable cybercrime developments in the last quarter.
Stealing digital currency
Digital Currency has become very popular in a short time. Facebook
Credits, Xbox Points, Zynga coins and Bitcoin now play a vital role in a
multibillion dollar global gaming economy. Far from being just of virtual
value, many of these currencies are actively traded for real currency. This
has not gone unnoticed by cyber criminals, now aiming to steal digital
wallets from people's computers. In June a digital wallet containing close
to US$500,000 was stolen when someone broke into the victim's computer and
transferred most, but not all, of the money out of his wallet.
Outsourcing the hard part, collecting the money
In a bid to outsource the hassle and risks of collecting the money,
cyber criminals are moving beyond credit cards details and are increasingly
using mobile phone operators to do the collecting for them. A criminal might
install a Trojan on to a victim's smartphone that sends premium SMS messages
when the owner is asleep. They might use a Facebook scam to get hold of
people's phone numbers and sign them up for an expensive monthly phone
charge. A victim's mobile operator will process the charges and transfer the
money to the criminal organization, even if they reside on the other side of
the world. If and when a victim notices the charge and the mobile operator
is alerted to stop processing payments, considerable amounts may already
have been stolen. If the amounts are small enough, many victims may not even
notice for months.
Eavesdropping on Android
With Android taking almost 50% of the world's smartphone market share,
it is no wonder that cyber criminals consider the platform an attractive
target. Most Android malware focuses on making money from premium SMS.
However, in July AVG investigated a Trojan that records a victim's phone
conversation and SMS messages and sends them to the attacker's servers for
analysis to identify potential confidential data. This clearly demonstrates
the power of modern mobile operating systems but also the tremendous risks
unprotected mobile users are open to.
Other key findings in the report:
- Rogue AV Scanner is currently the most active threat on the
web
- Exploit Toolkits account for over 30% of all threat activity on
malicious websites ('Fragus' is most popular, closely followed by
'Blackhole')
- Angry Birds Rio Unlocker is the most popular malicious Android
application
- The USA is still the largest source of spam, followed by India
and Brazil
"In Q3 we started to see a clear trend in cybercriminals shifting their
focus to simplifying money collection," said Yuval Ben-Itzhak, Chief
Technology Officer, AVG Technologies. "Well-organized criminal gangs are now
letting mobile phone operators handle the money collecting part by focusing
on mobile phones and setting victims up for charges that will appear on
their phone bill some time later. Not only is it a lot easier, it also
scales to tremendous volumes making money by stealing small amounts from
very large groups of victims."
A recent report authored by the research agency The Future Laboratory
(Cybercrime_Futures
[http://www.avg.com/filedir/news/2011_09_09_Future
Poll_Cybercrime_Futures.pdf ]), reveals that while cybercriminals and
malicious programs are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to
detect, users are, alarmingly, becoming the weakest link as they are less
vigilant about protecting their online devices. The combination of these two
factors presents a potentially disastrous cybercrime scenario.
JR Smith, CEO of AVG Technologies, said, "It's increasingly evident that
each unprotected individual makes us all more vulnerable, so it's vital that
as a global society we find ways to address this trend and ensure that we
are protected together. We're securing people's digital life, or as we like
to say: Providing Peace of Mind to the Connected World."
About the report
The AVG Community Powered Threat Report is based on the Community
Protection Network traffic and data, collected over a three-month period,
followed by analysis by AVG. It provides an overview of web, mobile devices,
Spam risks and threats. All statistics referenced are obtained from the AVG
Community Protection Network.
The AVG Community Protection Network is an online neighborhood watch,
helping everyone in the community to protect each other. Information about
the latest threats is collected from customers who choose to participate in
the product improvement program and shared with the community to make sure
everyone receives the best possible protection.
AVG has focused on building communities that help millions of online
participants support each other on computer security issues and actively
contribute to AVG's research efforts.
Full Q3 Threat Report: AVG_Community_Powered_Threat_Report_Q3_2011
[http://aa-download.avg.com/filedir/press/AVG_Community_Powered_Threat_Report_Q3_2011.pdf ]
1*
http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/security/3303786/us-needs-to-be-prepared-for-a-big-cyber-attack
2* http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/02/cyber-crime-unit-met-police
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/02/cyber-crime-unit-met-police?newsfeed=true ]
3*
http://www.ponemon.org/blog/post/second-cost-of-cyber-crime-study-is-released-today
About AVG Technologies
AVG is a global security software maker protecting 98 million active
users in 170 countries from the ever-growing incidence of Web threats,
viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. AVG has nearly two
decades of experience in combating cybercrime and advanced laboratories for
detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the
world. AVG has a strong reseller network consisting of resellers, partners
and distributors globally including CNET, Ingram Micro, and Wal-Mart.
Source: http://www.avg.com/press-releases-news
Keep in touch with AVG
- For breaking news, follow AVG on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/officialAVGnews
- For small business security trends analysis, follow the AVG
small business blog at http://small-business.blog.avg.com
- Visit the AVG Business Resource Centre at
http://www.avg.com/us-en/business-resources-center
- Visit the AVG Reseller Center at
https://secure.avg.com/us-en/rc-login
- Join our Facebook community at
http://www.facebook.com/AVGfree
- Join our LinkedIn community LinkedIn [http://bit.ly/AVGSMB ]
Source: AVG Technologies
United States: Jeff Seedman, Ruder Finn for AVG, seedmanj@ruderfinn.com, + 1-415-249-6763; United Kingdom: Lennard van Otterloo, MSL for AVG, Lennard.vanotterloo@mslgroup.com, +44(0)20-7878-3210; Investor Relations: Siobhan MacDermott , AVG Technologies - Investor Relations, siobhan.macdermott@avg.com, +1-415-299-2945