Security trends in 2012

InformationWeek recently released its list of "Security Trends to Watch In 2012," pointing out the top concerns in mobile device management and describing some of the software being developed to deal with mobile security issues.

In 2011, millions of records were exposed through businesses' collective data breaches, including those of well-known companies such as RSA and Sony. No. 1 on InformationWeek's list of trends to look out for is more breaches, which the source says is inevitable. CIOs are now accepting the fact that breaches are going to happen and are preparing for how to recover, instead of trying to prevent them from happening. According to the "2011 Data Breach Investigations Report" from Verizon, the number of attacks launched online against businesses between 2005 and 2010 increased by a factor of five.

"We frequently see organizations with protective measures based on the assumption that they are not a target," said Alan Brill, senior managing director of the cybersecurity and information assurance division at Kroll, in a recent report quoted by InformationWeek. "Yet 2011 taught us that no one is exempt from attack."

InformationWeek also predicted cyberespionage will continue and mobile malware will increase in 2012.

The proliferation of mobile threats is of particular concern, given that many companies have started letting employees bring their own devices to work, and are even providing workers with tablets and other mobile computing products. About 93 percent of the Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying iPads to their employees, according to the website eWeek. With technology being advanced in the workplace, protection from malware is at the forefront of IT departments' concerns.

With mobile devices being more susceptible to attacks by hackers looking to score company information, businesses are investing in third party mobile security protection to attempt to lessen the blow of a cyberattack. Adding anti-theft protection to mobile devices is encouraged, given that the likelihood of mobile devices being lost is higher than ever. Securing mobile devices by adding a tracking feature that can be activated if the device is stolen or lost is a method being used by many companies to boost security.

The fact that many workers may use mobile devices for both work and recreation presents IT pros with some unique challenges. For example, companies not only have to be sensitive to trends related to enterprise hacking, but to attacks targeting recreational computer users, such as those aimed at social networking sites.

Social-engineering attacks are also predicted to increase in 2012, with social networks being used more than ever, InformationWeek stated. For example, hackers are now sending emails that redirect users to a fake PayPal website, tricking them into entering private information for the criminals' financial gain.