Mobile Security Exploits to Double in 2011

IBM has released its X-Force 2011 mid-year security report, which provides details about this year's organized hack attacks as well as a changing security landscape that focuses on mobile devices.

ZoomBased on 12 billion "security events" that took place in the first half of the year, IBM concluded that the number of mobile security exploits in 2011 will be twice as high than in 2010.

Mobile malware is making its way to consumers via third-party applications and often use premium SMS services to monetize an infection or collect private data on cell phones that is extracted in phishing attacks or for identity theft purposes.

"For years, observers have been wondering when malware would become a real problem for the latest generation of mobile devices," said Tom Cross, manager of Threat Intelligence and Strategy for IBM X-Force. "It appears that the wait is over."

The bad news continues with critical vulnerabilities whose number tripled in 2011. Especially attacks from "hacktivist" groups now more a concern as they typically exploit known vulnerabilities, challenging organizations to figure out ways to fix newly discovered problems much faster than before.

Among the more positive observations is the fact that the number of vulnerabilities in web applications has declined. Only 37 percent of all vulnerability disclosures affected web applications, down from 49 percent last year. The number of browser vulnerabilities declined as well, as did the amount of spam that is being sent to users, which has a direct impact on phishing attacks. According to IBM, the percentage of spam that is phishing on a weekly basis was less than 0.01 percent.