Cyber attacks growing in number and sophistication

Enterprises are facing a number of security risks by failing properly to protect their applications and networks, according to new research from HP.

The 2010 Top Cyber Security Risks Report was carried out by HP's TippingPoint digital forensic labs, and should help companies to assess their own vulnerabilities and shore up their defences.

"To mitigate network security risk, organisations need insight into the potential threats associated with using social media networking sites and web application downloads in a business environment," said Mike Dausin, manager for advanced security intelligence at TippingPoint.

"By understanding the increased risk these applications pose to the corporate network, organisations can implement remediation strategies to ensure that business processes, as well as data, remain secure."

The report is partly based on information provided by Qualys and the SANS Internet Storm Centre, and warns that the latest attacks are more sophisticated than ever.

The proliferation of web applications and their use by enterprise workers is aiding malware writers, as it provides an open playing field for attacks.

"Our current research indicates that web applications continue to pose one of the biggest risks to corporate networks," said the report, warning that hackers are exploiting a confidence in applications to spread their wares.

The sophisticated malware can hide within an enterprise for long periods of time, the report said, harvesting information without detection.

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