McAfee Forecasts Web And Windows Vista Threats To Rise

McAfee has released its top ten predictions for security threats in 2008. Researchers at McAfee Avert Labs expect an increase in Web dangers and threats targeting Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, among other new or increased threats. At the same time ad-serving software known as adware is expected to continue to decrease.

“Threats are moving to the Web and newer technologies such as VoIP and instant messaging,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs and product development. “Professional and organised criminals continue to drive a lot of the malicious activity. As they become increasingly sophisticated, it is more important than ever to be aware and secure when traversing the Web.”

Attackers are using Web 2.0 sites as a way to distribute malware and are data mining the Web, looking for information people share to give their attacks more authenticity. McAfee Avert Labs expects a large increase in this activity in 2008.

As Vista becomes more prevalent, attackers and malware authors will start in earnest to explore ways to circumvent the operating system’s defenses. There were 19 Vista vulnerabilities reported since its release earlier this year and a lot more can be expected in 2008.

The government crackdown against purveyors of ad-serving software has had a positive effect. The combination of lawsuits, better defenses, and the negative connotation associated with this form of advertising helped start the decline of adware in 2006. This trend was confirmed in 2007 and with the major players out of the game, adware is expected to continue its decline in 2008.

Already this year, more than double the number of security vulnerabilities have been reported in Voice over IP (Internet Protocol) applications, compared to all of 2006. The technology is still new and defense strategies are lagging. McAfee Avert Labs expects a 50% increase in VoIP-related threats in 2008.