Rise in Data Theft, Data Leakage, and Targeted Attacks, says Report

The latest Internet Security Threat Report released today by Symantec reveals that the current Internet threat environment is characterized by an increase in data theft, data leakage, and the creation of targeted, malicious code for the purpose of stealing confidential information that can be used for financial gain. Cyber criminals continue to refine their attack methods in an attempt to remain undetected and to create global, cooperative networks to support the ongoing growth of criminal activity.

"Symantec's Internet Security Threat Report gives our organization a detailed analysis of worldwide Internet threats, helping us monitor security risks and adjust our technology and protection processes accordingly," said Dan Lohrmann, chief information security officer for the state of Michigan. "Safeguarding sensitive information and the public's trust is essential for our support of Michigan agencies providing law enforcement, health care, and citizen service. The report's comprehensive data on the global threat landscape complements our department's security operations."

For the first time, Symantec tracked the trade of stolen confidential information and captured data frequently sold on underground economy servers. These servers are often used by hackers and criminal organizations to sell stolen information, including social security numbers, credit cards, personal identification numbers (PINs), and e-mail address lists. During the last six months of 2006, 51 percent of all known underground economy servers in the world were located in the United States.

One of the saddest aspects of this report is the low cost personal information sells for. The report stated that a U.S.-based credit card with a card verification number were available for between US $1 - $6. While an identity, including a U.S. bank account, credit card, date of birth and government issued identification number, was available for between US $14 - $18. This shows how easy it is to access personal information.

Confidential information used in identity theft is often confiscated as a result of a data breach. During the reporting period, data breaches that resulted from hacker activity, the theft or loss of computer hardware, and security policy failure were assessed. The majority of global data breaches affected the government sector, accounting for 25 percent of the total. Government organizations may be considered a prime target as they often store data in many separate locations making it accessible to various people, and thereby increasing the opportunities for attackers to gain unauthorized access. Data breaches and the potential use of confidential information for identity theft can result in a loss of public confidence, legal liability, or costly litigation.

"As cyber criminals become increasingly malicious, they continue to evolve their attack methods to become more complex and sophisticated in order to prevent detection," said Arthur Wong, senior vice president, Symantec Security Response and Managed Services. "End users, whether consumers or enterprises, need to ensure proper security measures to prevent an attacker from gaining access to their confidential information, causing financial loss, harming valuable customers, or damaging their own reputation."

High levels of coordinated attacks combining spam, malicious code, and online fraud were observed. During the second half of 2006, spam made up 59 percent of all monitored e-mail traffic marking a steady increase over the first six months of 2006, with 30 percent of the total spam related to the financial services industry resulting from an increase in "pump-and-dump" spam. During a "pump-and-dump" scheme, cyber criminals profit by purchasing stock when it is low and then artificially pumping up interest in the stock by sending out spam containing false predictions of high performance for the stock. Spam recipients trust the content and buy the stock, creating demand and resulting in a rise in the stock price. When the stock price increases, the cyber criminals sell their stock for a profit.

Over the last six months of 2006, a total of 166,248 unique phishing messages, an average of 904 per day, were detected, marking a 6 percent increase over the first six months