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India Top Source Of Spam Globally

BW Online Bureau Nov 08, 2014

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[The June edition of the Symantec Intelligence report reveals that India is not only positioned higher than the global average as a target for spammers but is also the top source of spam globally (15 per cent of the total spam). India is followed by Vietnam, Brazil, Pakistan and Canada. <table style="height: 8px; width: 300px;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="8"> <tbody> <tr> <td><a href="/businessworld/system/files/images/Home/spamming-pu.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="/businessworld/system/files/images/Home/spamming300px.jpg"></a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> The report also observed that globally the defence industry has been the biggest target of cyber attacks in the first half of the year, with an average of 7.3 attacks per day. According to CERT-In, which handles computer security incidents, it has been observed that some hacker groups are launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDS) attacks on websites of government and private organisations in India. The attacks are being launched through popular DDoS tools and can consume bandwidth requiring appropriate proactive actions in coordination with service providers. In fact, intellectual property intensive industries such as chemical/pharmaceutical and manufacturing are the top industries that experienced targeted attacks. Cybercriminals target intellectual property such as design documents, formulas, and manufacturing processes as much money can be made from compromised corporate intellectual property (IP). The attackers first research desired targets and then send emails specifically to the target. The purpose of the attacks appears to be industrial espionage, collecting intellectual property for competitive advantage. It is important to remember that although on the increase, targeted attacks are still very rare. Targeted attacks use customised malware and refined targeted social engineering to gain unauthorised access to sensitive information. The next evolution of social engineering, in targeted attacks, victims are researched in advance and specifically targeted. Targeted Attacks The Nitro attack is focused on the chemical sector with the goal of obtaining sensitive documents such as proprietary designs, formulas, and manufacturing processes. Stuxnet, which is a computer worm designed to target industrial control systems used to monitor and run large-scale industrial facilities. Its final goal was to manipulate the physical equipment attached to specific industrial control systems so the equipment acted in a manner programmed by the attacker, contrary to its intended purpose. Such an outcome could have several underlying goals. India was home to the third highest Stuxnet infections. In June 2012, the following pattern of attack was seen: <ul> <li>Spam: 66.8 per cent  (a decrease of 1.0 percentage points since May)</li> <li>Phishing: One in 467.6 emails identified as phishing (an increase of 0.04 percentage points since May)</li> <li>Malware: One in 316.5 emails contained malware (an increase of 0.04 percentage points since May):</li> <li>Malicious Websites: 2,106 websites blocked per day (an decrease of 51.7 per cent since May)</li> </ul> The Symantec Intelligence June 2012 report includes data from January through June 2012.