Today, Websense released its biannual "State of the Internet" report, a deep dive into the most significant threats on the Internet during the first half of 2009.
Today, most threats to information security are leading to the Web -- either using the Internet as the attack vector, or simply the route through which stolen, confidential data is transmitted. Key findings from the Websense report include:
Websense Security Labs identified a 233 percent growth in the number of malicious sites in the last six months and a 671 percent growth over the last year.
- In the first half of 2009, 77 percent of Web sites with malicious code were legitimate sites that have been compromised. This high percentage was maintained over the past six months in part due to widespread attacks including Gumblar, Beladen and Nine Ball which aimed at compromising trusted Web properties with massive injection campaigns.
- Web 2.0 sites allowing user-generated content are a top target for cybercriminals and spammers. Websense Security Labs found that 95 percent of comments to blogs, chat rooms and message boards are spam or malicious.
- The "Dirty" Web is getting dirtier: 69 percent of all Web pages with content classified as objectionable (e.g. Sex, Adult Content, Gambling, Drugs) also had at least one malicious link. This is becoming even more pervasive, as 78 percent of new Web pages discovered in the first half of 2009 with objectionable content had at least one malicious link.
- Websense Security Labs found that 37 percent of malicious Web attacks included data-stealing code, demonstrating that attackers are after essential information and data.
- The Web continues to be the most popular vector for data-stealing attacks. In the second half of 2008 the Websense Security Labs found that 57 percent of data-stealing attacks are conducted over the Web.
- The convergence of blended Web and email threats continues to increase. Websense Security Labs reports that 85.6 percent of all unwanted emails in circulation during the first half of 2009 contained links to spam sites or malicious Web sites.
- In June alone, the total number of emails detected as containing viruses increased 600 percent over the previous month.
You may find the full report and a video summary of the findings at:
http://www.websense.com/threatreport
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