Kaspersky issues 2010 cyberthreat predictions

Kaspersky has released its "2010 Cyberthreat Forecast," making six predictions about the nature of the security landscape next year.

>>First, Kaspersky predicts "a rise in attacks originating from file sharing networks" accompanied by a shift away from attacks via websites and applications.

>>Second, the company sees "an increase in mass malware epidemics via P2P networks."

>>Third is the growth of semi-legal and gray-market programs set up by botnet owners. "These so-called 'partner programs,'" reads the report, "enable botnet owners to make a profit from activities such as sending spam, performing denial of service (DoS) attacks or distributing malware without committing an explicit crime."

>>Kaspersky's fourth prediction is a decline in fake anti-virus programs, such as the Conficker worm. "The fake anti-virus market has now been saturated and the profits for cybercriminals have fallen,"

>>Fifth, the company sees attempts to use Google Wave as an attack vector, starting with spam and proceeding through phishing and spreading malward.

>>And sixth, the company forecasts "an increase in attacks on iPhone and Android mobile platforms." Android is especially vulnerable, the report says: "The increasing popularity of mobile phones running the Android OS combined with a lack of effective checks to ensure third-party software applications are secure, will lead to a number of high-profile malware outbreaks."