Hackers Hitting Popular Web Script Software Apps, Network Devices

[mandy]

Cyber criminals have shifted targets. Until recently, hackers went after operating systems and Internet services like Web servers and E-mail servers. In 2005, they took aim at software applications, and set Internet security back six years.

Cyber criminals are stepping up their efforts to hack popular software applications and network devices, where efforts to close operating system vulnerabilities have had little impact.

The applications under fire span a variety of operating systems. They include enterprise backup software, anti-virus software, PHP applications, database software, peer-to-peer file sharing software, DNS software, media player software, IM software, and Internet browsers.

The second major finding of the report is that vulnerabilities in network operating systems such Cisco’s Internetwork Operating System (IOS), which powers most of the routers and switches on the Internet, represent a significant threat.

full article: http://www.informationweek.com/story/sho...=174400852

[jezebel]

The Consumer Reports WebWatch study indicates that fully a quarter of U.S.-based Internet users have stopped buying things online.