Expect More Cyber-Espionage, Sophisticated Malware in ’12, Experts Say

Computerworld: The past two years have seen a dramatic rise in sophisticated cyberattacks, particularly those targeting government agencies and defense contractors, and experts say the trend is likely to continue. “I absolutely expect this trend to continue through 2012 and beyond,” said Rik Ferguson of security firm Trend Micro. “Espionage activities have, for hundreds of years, taken advantage of cutting-edge technologies to carry out covert operations; 2011 was not the beginning of Internet-facilitated espionage, nor will it be the end,” he added.

Security experts recommend that organizations step up their training programs in order to combat these attacks. “People still represent the weakest link in security for a large amount of enterprises and that is the reason they are targeted,” Ferguson said. “Training still has an important place in an organisation’s security planning but it needs to be ongoing training, not a one-time only event.”