The Websense Security Labs 2015 threat report is out and it's not pretty. While malware threats declined 5% to nearly 4 billion threats last year, the number of high profile, damaging breaches increased substantially as bad guys got more sophisticated and targeted in their attacks. This focus on quality rather than quantity has meant that even targets with huge investments in security are being breached. 

So what do we need to know about this? The report looked at changes in both the technical and human aspects of cybercrime over the past year. 

Malware as a Service (MaaS)

From a technical standpoint, cybercrime has gotten easier to perpetrate such that even beginners can create havoc because of the availability of tools and paid services for hacking and distributing malware. In fact 99% of exploits had been previously used by others. Today's hackers do not have to be technically competent; they simply purchase sophisticated hacking kits and services. Criminals use techniques to remain anonymous making apprehension difficult.

It's All Your Fault!

The report found that a third of criminal success is from people clicking on links and opening infected attachments in email despite the warnings not to do so. People have become desensitized to the warnings and don't feel responsible for their actions. Although they know they shouldn't click, the degree of danger hasn't been emphasized enough and more training is needed.

What Can We Do About It?

Cooperation and targeting of widely used Command and Control systems through cooperation between Internet giants have resulted in successfully taking down three large systems recently. However, as is often the case, we all should look within for responsibility. Upgrade your passwords and take that extra second to evaluate whether clicking on that link is really a good idea or not. If you have a friend or coworker who has been hacked, you will know the problems this causes in ones life. So be careful out there! Don't click if you're not sure. That Nigerian prince really is too good to be true, that cute Russian girl isn't really interested in you and that Fedex package you weren't expecting really isn't for you.

If you have any questions about internet security, if you need a nice secure website or if you just need yours found on search engines, give 111 Web Studio a call at 877.397.7605. We'll take good care of you.