Symantec New Age Mega Breach Flags Benefits and Change Behavior for Cybercrime

Her report Symantec Reveals the Number of Mega Breach in Data from One 2012 to 8 2013? 552 million identities were exposed to 2013

Athens, 14 April 2014 - Following the shadow of shadowing 10's first 2013 months, cyber criminals have launched the most damaging series of cyber attacks in history. Symantec's annual 19 report Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), demonstrates a significant change in the behavior of cybercriminals, revealing that the 'bad guys' conspired for months before organizing the massive theft operation – rather than small executive hits with smaller rewards.

“Ένα Mega Breach μπορεί να αξίζει όσο 50 μικρότερες attacks,” είπε ο κ. Χρήστος Βεντούρης, Information Security Specialist Νοτιοανατολικής Ευρώπης για τη Symantec. "While the level of attack continues to improve, what was surprising last year was that the attackers are now more patient - they expect to strike when the reward is bigger and better."

In 2013, there was a 62% increase in the number of data breaches compared to the previous year, resulting in the exposure of more than 552 million identities - proving clearly that cybercrime remains a real and detrimental threat to consumers and businesses.

"Well-behaved security incidents can improve the customer's perception of a company, and if mistaken management can be fatal," said Ed Ferrara, vice president and chief analyst at Forrester Research. "If customers lose their trust in a company because of how it handles personal information and privacy, they may seek a partnership with another company."[1]

Defense is the Best Attack

The magnitude and purpose of the breaches has skyrocketed, jeopardizing the trust and reputation of businesses and increasingly violating users' personal information - from credit card and medical records numbers to bank account codes and details. Each of the top data breaches in 2013 resulted in the loss of tens of millions of data files, compared to 2012, where there was only one breach of data of this magnitude.

"Success is successful - especially if it is cyber criminals," said Ventouris. "The dynamics of higher rewards mean that large-scale attacks will remain at the forefront. Businesses of all sizes need to re-examine and possibly redesign their security strategy. "

Focused attacks increased by 91% and averaged three times as much as 2012. The secretaries of administration and those working in public relations were the two professions where cybercriminals focused and used as a staircase for their higher goals, such as business executives and personalities.

Elements for the Greek Market

In 2013, Greece had a downward trend in the overall image of the Internet Security Threat profile of the world, occupying 43rd place in the Global Ranking, while in 2012 it was in 42nd place. More specifically, Greece is in 30th place in global spam levels (0,7%), while in 2012 Greece was in 29th place. Malicious code activity in 2013 ranked 58th globally (0,2% of the total) while in 2014 it was ranked 54th. Phishing hosts also fell, where Greece now ranks 63rd worldwide (with the 2012 ranking being 60th), while the malicious software via email was 1 in 718,8 emails.

How To Support Your Flexibility In Cyberspace

While the increasing flow of data from smart devices, apps and other online services tempts cybercriminals, there are a number of steps businesses and consumers can take to protect themselves – whether it's a large breach, a focused one attack or a common spam. Symantec recommends the following best practices:

For Business:

• Meet your data: Protection should focus on the information – not the device or the data center. Understand where your data is and where it moves so you can identify best practices and procedures to protect it. 
• Educate Your Executives: Provide guidance on information protection, including corporate practices and procedures for the protection of sensitive data on personal and corporate devices.
• Implement a strong security strategy: Strengthen your security infrastructure with measures that include data loss prevention, network security, endpoint protection, encryption, powerful authentication as well as defensive measures such as reputation-based technologies.

For Consumers:

• Try to understand the technology: Passwords are the key to your kingdom. Use password management software to create strong, unique ones passwords for every website you visit and keep your devices – including smartphones – updated with the latest security software.
• Be alert: Supervise bank accounts as well as those of credit cards for any irregularities, be careful when handling unexpected emails and watch out for online offers that look so good that they are not true - they usually are.
• Meet who you are working with: Familiarize yourself with the policies of your affiliates and online services that may request banking or personal information. As a best practice, visit the official website directly (instead of clicking on the email link) if you need to share sensitive information.