GCC vulnerable to cyber-criminals

Organized crime is now the major driving force for illegal web activities. Due to the relative ease of operating almost invisibly over the Internet, criminal's shift from physical to cyber safe has been swift.

The rate of growth of malware has shot up exponentially in the last few years. In 2007 over 5 million unique malware samples were detected. At the current growth rate, this conservatively projects to over 230,000,000 by 2010.

A recent regional security survey conducted by Trend Micro and ITP.net revealed that in the past three months alone, 80% of users were affected by spam; 31% were affected by viruses; and 23% were affected by viruses and Trojans. Startlingly, 25% were unaware that threats existed in the region.

The survey also revealed that, people in the Middle East are fairly knowledgeable about security threats such as spam, viruses, worms and Trojans, but only about 18% have heard of 'rootkits' - a set of tools that allows hackers to gain access to key root functions on a server.

"The Middle East's economic success signals a lucrative target for cyber criminals," said Ian Cochrane, Regional Marketing Manager, Trend Micro. "All attacks are financially motivated. Given the sophistication and stealth of these attacks, it is imperative that regional businesses have the right level of protection."

Web threats can be installed on a PC without the user's implicit knowledge and permission. Because 72% of regional employees browse web-sites unrelated to work, the chances of downloading malicious software are much higher.

Unprotected hot spots are particularly dangerous. The study shows that 73% of employees use laptops outside of work, increasing the chances of infection.

Trend Micro's Smart Protection Network is a unique approach designed to stay one step ahead of the cybercriminals. This new cloud-client hybrid technology enables organizations to protect laptops, workstations, servers and gateway systems. Trend Micro's real-time infrastructure, sitting in the cloud, then checks the signature for malware. Once checked, a response is sent back to the client.

This structure insures customers have immediate access to the latest and strongest protection wherever and however they connect to the internet - from home, within the company's network, or on the go.

"Our Smart Protection Network uses advanced threat correlation to halt web attacks at the source while minimizing the resource demands on your IT environment. Trend Micro's next generation of anti-malware technology has arrived, blocking the most sophisticated threats before they reach your corporate network," added Cochran.

At the heart of the Smart Protection Network is a move beyond the conventional approaches of blocking threats and towards a global network of threat intelligence that uses Trend Micro's cloud-based technology to block Web threats before they reach a network or computer. Leveraged across Trend Micro's on-premise products, as well as hosted solutions that have effectively protected millions of customers since the company's inception 20 years ago, Trend Micro Smart Protection Network takes the fight against crimeware into the Internet cloud.