In its 2011 Threat Predictions report, McAfee said that the popularity of the iPhones and iPads in the corporate environment, combined with a lack of understanding about security settings for these devices, will increase the risks for users. The company predicts that Apple botnets and trojans will be a “common occurrence” in 2011.
The report predicts that other popular platforms and services, such as Google’s Android smartphone and Google TV, will become major targets of cybercriminals next year.
“We’ve seen significant advancements in device and social network adoption, placing a bulls-eye on the platforms and services users are embracing the most. These platforms and services have become very popular in a short amount of time, and we’re already seeing a significant increase in vulnerabilities, attacks, and data loss”, said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs.
McAfee predicts that social media will “completely alter the threat landscape in 2011”. The company said that URL-shortening services will be at the forefront of criminal activity. “The use of abbreviated URLs on sites like Twitter makes it easy for cybercriminals to mask and direct users to malicious websites.”
In addition, geolocation services, such as foursquare, Gowalla, and Facebook Places, offer a bonanza for cybercriminals. “In just a few clicks, cybercriminals can see in real time who is tweeting, where they are located, what they are saying, what their interests are, and what operating systems and applications they are using. This wealth of personal information on individuals enables cybercriminals to craft a targeted attack”, McAfee warned.
The report predicts that mobile device users, particularly corporate users, will see a “rapid escalation of attacks and threats” in 2011, putting corporate data at risk.
Also, 2011 will see an increase in cyberespionage and cybersabotage, known as advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks. McAfee Labs warns that “companies of all sizes that have any involvement in national security or major global economic activities should expect to come under pervasive and continuous APT attacks that go after email archives, document stores, intellectual property repositories and other databases.”