Custom malware, covert social networking attacks and automated threats against mobile devices are key threats.

Cybercriminals are shifting the target of their attacks from traditional infrastructure to mobile users and endpoint devices, according to the 2011 Global Security Report from Trustwave.

Key report findings

• Third-party vendors continue to put companies at risk — 88 per cent of breaches resulting from insecure software code or lax security practices in the management of third-party technology

• Cybercriminals “got fresh” in 2010—because in-transit credit card data is usually more recently created (more fresh) than stored data, two-thirds (66 per cent) of investigations found the theft of data in transit

• Food and beverage regained its title as the most breached industry—representing 57 per cent of the investigations

• A single organised crime syndicate may be responsible for more than 30 per cent of all 2010 data breaches

Evolving threats

• Geolocation data is helping cybercriminals launch more sophisticated and targeted attacks against social networks

• Mobile devices offer cybercriminals an open door to corporate authentication credentials, sensitive data and trade secrets

• Anti-virus software is losing the battle against malware – the new breed of malware is virtually undetectable by current scanning software