GTISC: 2011 Emerging Cyber Threats Report

http://www.gtisc.gatech.edu/pdf/cyberThreatReport2011.pdf

Intro

Growing sophistication of botnets, pervasive devices and social networking, and threats to physical systems will demand increased vigilance in 2011

Cyber threats cannot be adequately thwarted unless they are fully understood. The Georgia Tech Information Security Center (GTISC) therefore remains dedicated to thoroughly researching, analyzing and understanding the motives and methods of cyber attackers, and sharing that information with the community at large.

On October 7, 2010, GTISC hosted its annual Security Summit, bringing together leading experts from academia and industry to discuss the ever evolving nature of cyber security threats and the various measures that can be taken to defend against cyber attacks.

Further leveraging its own in-house research as well as in-depth collaboration with security industry leaders, GTISC developed the following Emerging Cyber Threats Report for 2011.

The report draws upon a wide range of security research to uncover and explain the top three trends that will strongly impact the security landscape in 2011. These include the further proliferation and sophistication of botnets, attacks on pervasive devices and social networking, and the impact of cyber security issues on physical systems. Common features of these threats are their increased sophistication and the monetary gain motives that drive them.

“Traditional cyber security has been largely reactive in nature,” said Mustaque Ahamad, director of GTISC. “Our goal is to remain at the forefront of security research and collaborate with our partners so that we may begin to develop solutions to impending cyber concerns at an early stage before they become widespread sources of harm. The GTISC Security Summit and Emerging Cyber Threats Report are two key facets of our efforts to keep security discussions alive and cutting edge, as well as to engage the broader community in our programs.”