If this is not a reason to boost your computer’s security up, then I don’t know what is. Over the past year or so, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of targeted attacks hackers are making. Sadly, the reasoning behind this is because there is profits to be made through things like theft, blackmail, and the like. While targeted hacking is nothing new, it is important to know about the growing trend of targeting a wider span of software vulnerabilities. Instead of sticking with the Microsoft product families and internet browsers, hackers are reaching to new avenues for vulnerabilities such as media players (i.e. Winamp, iTunes, etc.) and games.

Computer users will see a surge in targeted hacking attacks this year as criminals continue to reap large sums of money from phishing scams, security experts predict.

Malicious users will also exploit vulnerabilities in computer software and launch quicker and more sophisticated attacks before security professionals get the chance to develop a patch, according to PandaLabs.

They also expect the design and programming of phishing techniques to become more complex to counter advances in security systems. Moreover, criminals will use more malicious code with rootkit functions to infiltrate computer systems undetected, said the experts.[more]

Tags: Hackers