According to a recent research conducted by Trend Micro, the aftermath of security breaches, loopholes found in mobile platforms and exploits posing risks not only to user privacy, but also to physical safety.
The data breaches experienced spurred a chain of attacks, in which dumping stolen confidential information in public domains tarnishes victims’ reputations, causing far greater damage than simple business disruptions. Additionally, security breaches impacting the healthcare industry were prevalent in Q3 2015, including the attack on the UCLA Health System where personal records of approximately 4.5 million patients were compromised.
The findings unveil that data breach dumps were used to fuel further attacks and extortion. The successful attacks against The Hacking Team and Ashley Madison greatly affected the security and computing industries. Also, the discovery of weak points in mobile platforms emphasize existing problems in both ecosystems.
Cybercriminals use the shotgun approach on PoS malware, primarily affecting small businesses. Attacks seen in the third quarter involved PoS malware launched through old techniques like spamming, as well as tools like macro malware, exploit kits and botnets.
The research raises issues on the security of internet-ready devices. Attackers are now modifying target-tank information, which could have dire consequences for the general public.
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