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2010 will see increasing security threats to users of social networking and media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a security vendor predicted.
"In 2009 we saw increased attacks on websites, exploit cocktails thrown at unsuspecting users, infrastructure failure via natural and unnatural causes, and 'friendly fire' become a larger problem than ever."
"With Facebook reaching more than 350 million users, we expect that 2010 will take these trends to new heights," security vendor McAfee said in its "2010 Threat Predictions" report (PDF).
"Malware authors love following the social networking buzz and hot spots of activity; that will continue in 2010."
The report warns that as Google and other providers crack down on "search engine poisoning", Twitter and similar services will increase in appeal for such purposes.
Twitter has been a major driver in the use of abbreviated URL services, such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com..........
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."
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