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Security Threats Diversify, Modernize, Sophos Report Warns By Jennifer LeClaire December 5, 2012 9:44AM     What was once a homogeneous world of Windows systems is now a landscape of diverse platforms, and modern malware is taking advantage of that, according to Sophos. Malware authors now attack Android devices more often than PCs. Nearly 10 percent of Android devices in the U.S. have seen a malware attack, compared with 6 percent of PCs.   Related Topics Security Malware Hacker Android Windows World Wide Web Latest News Chrome Gets Conversational Search Attention GIFers, It's Pronounced 'Jif' Nvidia GPU Boosts Citrix XenDesktop Security Alert: New Trojan Attacking Blue Coat Beefs Up Big Data Security Security threats are coming from all sides. Now Sophos is outlining some of them in its Security Threat Report 2013, which details IT security trends in 2012 and what to expect in 2013. As Sophos describes it, 2012 was a year of new platforms and modern malware. What was once a homogeneous world of Windows systems is now a landscape of diverse platforms. Modern malware is taking advantage of these trends, the security firm said, creating new challenges for IT security professionals. "Two of the defining terms of 2012 are 'empower' and 'evolve.' Attacks and threats -- on PCs, Macs and mobile devices -- continue to evolve as does the technology to combat them," said Gerhard Eschelbeck, CTO at Sophos. "As users demand more and better ways to do their jobs, IT continues to evolve, bringing forth a new set of operating systems and other advancements, replete with different security models and attack vectors, making it crucial for security technology to evolve, ensuring that end users are protected and empowered -- no matter what platform, device , or operating system they choose." Android Targeted Sophos also reports that malware authors now attack Android devices more often than PCs. Nearly 10 percent of Android devices in the U.S. have seen a malware attack, compared with only about 6 percent of PCs. We asked Michael Disabato, managing vice president of Network and Telecom at Gartner, for his take on the revelation. "Google Play is not curated as well as iOS. Android is designed to be a very flexible operating system so it's easy to root. Why do people rob banks? That's where the money is. Why are people going after Android? Because they can, because there's money in it, and because you can't get to iOS without a lot of work," Disabato told us. "Why aren't malware authors going after Windows? Windows gets defended just as quickly as possible. But very few people are installing malware detection and mitigation software on their smartphones." Beware Legitimate Websites Beyond smartphones, more than 80 percent of attacks were redirects, the majority of which were from legitimate Websites that were hacked, according to Sophos. Most of the exposure is still coming from clicking links in e-mails and browsing Web pages that are carrying malicious code. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Salesforce.com is the market and technology leader in Software-as-a-Service. Its award-winning CRM solution helps 82,400 customers worldwide manage and share business information over the Internet. Experience CRM success. Click here for a FREE 30-day trial.  Customer Data 1.   Blue Coat Beefs Up Big Data Security 2.   HP and SAP Team on HANA Database 3.   Cyber-Experts Impressed with Heist 4.   Bloomberg Admits Terminal Snooping 5.   Hospitals Lose $8.3B Using Old Tech HP and SAP Team on HANA Database Large-scale, in-memory data analytics. Average Rating: Cyber-Experts Impressed with Heist Respect for hack's tech sophistication. Average Rating: Hospitals Lose $8.3B Using Old Tech Not enough mobile devices, Internet. Average Rating:

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Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

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Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Google Adds Conversational Search to Chrome If you like chatting with Siri, sending voice texts while driving or telling your Xbox when to pause or rewind a DVD, you're going to enjoy the upgrade to Google's Chrome browser.   HTC Execs Bolt, Sales Slide. Is the End Near for the Company? What's going on with HTC? A string of executives quitting and slowing sales for new phone models are raising questions about the health of this major phone maker. Is the end in sight?   Walter De Brouwer's Magical Medical Tricorder In cluttered old offices rooted in the past, Walter De Brouwer works feverishly to conjure the future, hammering away on a gadget that promises to revolutionize the way we monitor our health.

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