A new report from the Armonk, NY technology company suggests phishing attacks jumped more than 200 percent in May.
Attempts to obtain personal information by criminal means through e-mail, or phishing, increased by 226 percent, according to IBM’s Global Business Security Index.
Phishing attacks have been getting a boost from the various “zombie” machines that have been compromised worldwide. It is suspected that thousands of computers operate as remotely controlled networks for the illicit purpose of sending out millions of junk and criminal e-mail messages.
IBM discussed a malware scam operating from the hostname iframeDOLLARS.biz. That domain tried to recruit other web site operators to host an active Internet Explorer exploit, which could have placed an assortment of malicious software on visiting systems.
“IT systems have become so crucial to today’s business operations, work productivity, and customer service, that even a small disruption can have serious impact on business operations, and loss of data integrity or confidentiality can lose a customer base that took years to build,” said Cal Slemp, vice president, security and privacy services, IBM Global Services.
Mr. Slemp’s words echo true when considering the security breaches at places like CardSystems Solutions, ChoicePoint, and others in recent months. The lessons learned there include using a variety of methods to secure a network, do updates when security necessitates it, and test that security at regular intervals.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
