Fred Touchette Senior Security Analyst AppRiver

AppRiver, LLC, a leading provider of email messaging and Web security solutions, has released its year-end Threat and Spamscape report, a detailed summary and analysis of spam and malware trends traced over the course of 2012.  Also in the report are the company’s IT security trend predictions for 2013.  

During the past year alone, AppRiver quarantined more than 630 million messages carrying email-borne viruses.  Additionally, in the past year AppRiver has processed 26.6 billion messages of which 22.9 billion were spam.

In a new video, Fred Touchette, report author and senior security analyst at AppRiver, discusses highlights from the year-end report and warns that 2013 could bring the following threats:  

• Mobile Malware—Be prepared to see a big increase in the amount of malware targeting Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices through several vectors including email, browser attacks and malicious apps.
• Malicious Apps—With malicious applications for smartphones and tablets finding their way into legitimate app stores, security on the app stores will continue to improve.  Google Play recently added code (though not in use yet) that scans its marketplace for malware and retroactively scans personal devices for malicious apps that could have been installed. If proven effective, this security measure will serve as a great leap in mobile security.
• The Digital Wallet—Virtual wallets like Google Wallet and Apple’s Passbook offer users the ability to store their credit cards, coupons, and just about whatever else they desire in the cloud. Shoppers simply need to tap their phones at the register to make a purchase. So instead of slipping a traditional keylogger onto laptops and waiting for victims to enter account information, cybercriminals might now become digital pickpockets going straight for the digital wallet.
• Cyber Warfare—Cyber-attacks against governments and infrastructure have become a popular means of tactical warfare in the past couple of years. Moving forward, we may witness cyber-attacks against communications or utility entities just moments before ground troops roll into new theaters of war. Until then, expect to see more of the small, targeted attacks.
• Hacktivism—Hacktivists have been around for years, but now seem to enjoy the media spotlight that shines attention on their cause.  Expect to see more hacktivism in the months ahead.  
• Increase in Wire Transfer Fraud—A new botnet related to wire transfer fraud, Gozi, will be on the scene shortly. Gozi is feature-rich and professionally coded according to its creator, vorVzakone, who offered a free test drive to those who can prove they’re in the same business and on the same side. Wire fraud is a frequent occurrence for financial institutions, and the ability to automate it on a botnet level could become a big deal. Expect to see these attacks over the next year, as well as other malware authors utilizing Gozi-like functionality.

“The mobile realm continues to grow at a rapid rate and we foresee more attacks against these devices in the very near future,” said Touchette. “The best thing we can do is remain vigilant by keeping safe browsing habits and remain educated to keep our personal data out of the wrong hands.”

Touchette also discusses specific attacks and general themes from 2012 in AppRiver’s Threat and Spamscape report.  “Social networking attacks grew with the continuing popularity of Facebook, and newcomers such as Instagram and Pinterest,” said Touchette. “The scammers and attackers always go to where the people are so it’s no surprise that attacks leveraging these sites have continued.”

AppRiver is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider offering award-winning email and Web security solutions to businesses of all sizes. Understanding the need to protect networks from today's increasingly complex IT threats, AppRiver offers businesses a comprehensive, yet affordable subscription-based solution that incorporates the latest spam and virus protection, email encryption and Web security on the market. In addition, the company provides a complete managed service for Microsoft Exchange, as well as a bundled Office 365 solution.

Since its inception, AppRiver has sustained an impressive 93% customer retention rate while growing its customer base to more than 45,000 companies and over 8 million mailboxes worldwide. The company maintains offices in Florida, New York and Switzerland, and is led by an Ernst & Young Florida Entrepreneur of the Year award winner.  For more information, please visit www.appriver.com.