McAfee: Malware will use web and USB sticks to spread in 2009

This year, enterprises must have the appropriate protection in place to secure their organization from internet and removable storage device malware in their environments, David Marcus, director of security research and communication for McAfee Avert Labs told SCMagazineUS.com Friday.

McAfee this week released its “2009 Threat Predictions” report, which forecasts the most dangerous IT security risks for the year ahead, some of which include web-based malware. Marcus said organizations must realize that more malware than ever is being created and distributed via the internet through Web 2.0 sites, such as Facebook and MySpace.

“Unless you are looking at that vector, it's a question of when the malware will enter the environment,” Marcus said.

Businesses must analyze employee use of the internet to determine behavior, then make sure they have appropriate protections in place to secure their organization from malware, Marcus said.

In addition, the incidence of malware distributed through removable storage devices, including USB sticks and cameras, has increased, and McAfee expects to see this threat continue this year. For organizations, this threat represents an accident waiting to happen, Marcus said.

Organisations should create policies to limit or control the use of removable storage devices. He said many capable solutions exist to combat the threats associated with these devices, but few organizations are dealing with the problem.

This year, the slumping economy will fuel cybercrime, McAfee predicted. Malware authors will be preying on users' desire to find attractive deals for services by creating fake goods and services websites. In addition, phishing scams that center on users' desire to find employment could increase.

See original article on scmagazineus.com