 |
Security News
Avira warns: targeted malware attacks increasingly also threatening German companies
Wed, 25 July 2007
Instead of just relying on mass mails, hackers are specifically attacking individual firms
Tettnang, 25 July 2007 – Hackers and phishers are now successfully using a new trick in the USA. Instead of simply sending their emails to several million eBay users and bank customers, they are now also selecting their victims very specifically. A blackmail Trojan recently caused difficulties for renowned American authorities and corporations. According to information from the German IT security experts Avira, these concentrated attacks will also increase in Germany in future. According to the experts of the Avira security laboratory, these attacks very specifically spy out business secrets, customer data and other sensitive information of certain companies, institutions or authorities. In specialist circles, this type of malware is known as spear phishing or targeted attacks.
“The times in which phishing and other malware attacks were only directed at the broad mass of users are over. Up to now the villains have exploited the fact that millions of emails sent indiscriminately with an appealing subject line are worthwhile – someone always responds and falls for the trick”, says Tjark Auerbach, the founder and CEO of Avira. With spear phishing, however, only a very individually designed message is sent to a selected group of recipients in a company. “Who then suspects fraud if the IT support department or the works committee gets in touch? After all, information about contact partners, responsibilities and structures is stored on the websites of many companies. It is therefore easy for hackers to fake a corresponding email and thus appear trustworthy”, explains Auerbach.
In this way many companies bring in Trojans and other spyware against which the protection packages of internationally active anti-virus software producers can only provide limited protection, as they focus on the large overseas markets. “Germany is definitely an important market for foreign providers, but especially in the case of geographically limited attacks we, as a local provider, are much more capable of detecting and fending off threats quickly”, says Auerbach. The security expert from Tettnang operates a network of virus laboratories in which specialists follow security attacks and develop defense mechanisms around the clock. The virus definition file of the AntiVir protection software is updated several times a day.
“The best protection against such spear phishing attacks is well informed employees. Sometimes it is enough to pick up the phone to find out whether the IT administrator has really sent an email with software attached”, says Auerbach. “However, this does not spare companies from using security software with a strong heuristic that also detects purely local German attacks.”
About Avira
Avira is a worldwide leading supplier of self-developed security solutions for professional and private use. With more than twenty years of experience, the company is one of the pioneers in this field.
The security expert has several locations in Germany and partnerships in Europe, Asia and America. At its headquarters in Tettnang near Lake Constance, Avira is one of the region’s largest employers with more than 180 employees. Worldwide more than 250 persons are employed and their work regularly wins awards. Avira AntiVir Personal, used by millions of private users, represents a significant contribution to security.
Avira’s national and international customers include renowned corporations listed on the stock exchange but also educational institutions and public authorities. In addition to protection of the virtual environment, Avira also provides for more protection and security in the real world by supporting the Auerbach Foundation. Established by the founder of the company, the Auerbach Foundation promotes charitable and social projects as well as the arts, culture and science.
Contact for the press:
Elisabeth Rothbart
LEWIS Global PR
Baierbrunner Str. 15
D-81379 Munich
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 33
Fax: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 99
Email:
 Print this page
|
|
Virus threats 
.gif)
