Cyberspace Attacks Are on the Rise
Cyber attacks are becoming more common and targeted, according to a study to be released today, and security experts warned that the trend is only going to increase.
Tracking the security breaches of more than 300 clients across the world, Internet security firm Riptech said it verified at least 128,678 cyber attacks from July to December. While few of the attacks detected posed a “severe threat,” the Alexandria, Va., company said it was surprised by the volume.
“This report should clearly illustrate that the Internet security threat is real, pervasive, and perhaps more severe than previously anticipated,” the report says.
There were 52,658 security breaches and attacks last year, up 50% from the previous year, according to the CERT Coordination Center, a government-funded computer emergency-response team at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The center also received reports of 2,437 computer vulnerabilities, more than double the figure from 2000.
The Riptech study did not include “worm” attacks. Computer worms are reproducing programs that run independently and travel across network connections. The main difference between viruses and worms is the method in which they reproduce and spread. Including worms in the count increased the number of attacks by 63%.
Securing the country’s Internet infrastructure has received fresh attention since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In October, President Bush named Richard Clark to the new position of special advisor to the president for cyberspace security. Cyber security is expected to be included in efforts coordinated by the Office of Homeland Security, which was established after the attacks.
Computer systems are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks, in part because companies are not implementing security measures already available, according to a recent report by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, part of the U.S.-based National Research Council.
Riptech’s findings largely amplify industry concerns. About 41% of companies experienced attacks that were critical, and needed to be addressed to avoid compromising their computer systems. About 12.7% encountered at least one “emergency” in which the company had to “initiate some form of recovery procedure,” the report says.
“The community of hackers is getting bigger and the tools used to launch the attacks are easier to find and easier to use,” said Tim Belcher, Riptech’s chief technology officer.
A small number of countries were the source of the vast majority of attacks; 30% came from within the U.S., the report says.
