Security firm highlights clearly defined market structure for malware distribution

Hacking set to go industrial

The hacking community will have a fully developed industrial structure within the next ten years, a new report suggests.

The study by UK security firm Imperva states that clear definitions are already developing among hackers that creates an identifiable ‘supply chain’ of malware.

Imperva’s research divides the hacking communities in to three groups: the botnet cultivators who create and expand networks of ‘zombie PCs’, the attackers who purchase or hire networks as a platform to launch DDoS strikes or to obtain sensitive data, and the cyber-criminals who purchase personal information for fraud purposes.

After tracking one particular attack that affected hundreds of websites and PCs, the security firm asserted that such an operation could not have been initiated without a high level of cooperation and a significant degree of automation.

“Organisations must look to integrate their protection tools with proactive security measures, admittedly not readily available today,” stated Imperva chief technology officer Amichai Shulman.

“However the security community is currently developing solutions and these will become widely available over the next few years. The next decade must see the IT security industry rise up and stand shoulder to shoulder if it is to win the fight against cyber-criminals.”

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