Cybercriminal success demands smarter defense strategies
Keeping pace with online security threats created by dedicated teams of hackers around the world is no easy task. But according to information security expert Anup Ghosh, the data protection industry may be a victim of its inability to evolve old ideas to solve new problems.
In his latest column for Forbes, Ghosh suggested that the saga surrounding Duqu, the latest brand of advanced malware disrupting systems worldwide, provides an important commentary on the stubborn nature of the online security community. While many pundits were quick to compare Duqu to similar botnets from recent memory, these comparisons may not have given proper respect to its unique characteristics.
According to Computerworld, the hackers behind Duqu may have spent several years designing and refining their hardware to launch the perfect cybercriminal plot. There are also details to suggest it may have been launched by hostile government programmers as an act of cyberwarfare.
Ghosh views these events as just one of many recent instances in which the online security community has had its fundamental concepts challenged. Previously reliable utilities like secure socket layers and two-factor authentication protocols have each shown new vulnerability this year, and the cybersecurity community may have to part with their previous assumptions quickly if they hope to close the gap on hackers.
