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2013 Cyber Threats Released at the Georgia Tech Cyber Security Summit

With keynote speaker Brendan Hannigan, IBM Internet Security, the annual Georgia Tech Cyber Security Summit (GTCSS) was held late last year, coinciding with the release of the "2013 Georgia Tech Emerging Cyber Threat Report". The summit also included a panel of security experts from Damballa, AirWatch, E*TRADE, MAAWG, Pindrop Security and Symantec Research Lab.

According to the Report, emerging threats over the next year include:

Mobile Browser and Mobile Wallet Vulnerabilities

The Report predicts that one of the greatest flaws of mobile wallet technologies for 2013 is that smartphones are frequently lost and many are not secured with a password. Further information regarding mobile device security best practices is available on the Queen's ITServices website.

Information Manipulation

An emerging threat in 2013 will be "Search History Poisoning". According to Dr. Wenke Lee, Director of the Georgia Tech Information Security Center, "if you compromise a computer, the victim can always switch to a clean machine and your attack is over. If you compromise a user’s search history and hence his online profile, the victim gets the malicious search results no matter where he logs in from".

Malware Counteroffensive

According to the Report, "While many people understand the implications of carrying a small computer in their pocket, most do not understand that they are also carrying a portable sensor suite". The Report predicts that in 2013, attackers will find novel ways to use the sensor capabilities of smartphones to exploit user data.

Further information regarding Security Best Practices is on the ITServices Website.

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