Feb, 2003 : Symantec Releases Internet Security Threat Report

📅 February 5, 2003 - Symantec (symantec.com), a world leader in Internet security, yesterday released its "Internet Security Threat Report," which provides the most comprehensive analysis of trends in cyber security activity. The report is the result of analysis of more than 30 terabytes of data and covers network-based cyber attack activity, vulnerability discovery, and malicious code.

Cyber attack trends are drawn from the analysis of attack data collected in real time from a subset of thousands of intrusion detection systems and firewalls. These sensors are deployed in more than 40 countries as part of the Symantec's Worldwide Managed Security Services Operations. Vulnerability trends are based on statistical analysis of Symantec Response Team's extensive vulnerability database, which houses more than 6,000 vulnerabilities affecting more than 13,000 distinct products. Finally, malicious code trends are based on analysis of information generated by Symantec Response Team's Digital Immune System, which draws submitted virus data from more than 100 million antiviral products.
For the first time, Symantec reports that the level of total cyber attack activity has decreased, falling 6 per cent in the second half of 2002. The report also found that damage caused by recent blended threats, such as Opaserv, was considerably less than that caused by old threats, such as Code Red. Mixed with the encouraging news, Symantec also documented 2,524 new vulnerabilities in 2002, an increase of 81.5 per cent over 2001. Companies averaged 30 attacks per company per week over the past six months, as compared to 32 attacks per company per week during the prior six-month period. Power and energy companies show the highest rate of both attack activity and severe event incidence. In addition, the financial services sector experienced an elevation in overall attack volume and severe event incidence.
Symantec believes that the possibility of future, high impact, blended threats continues to represent one of the greatest risks to the Internet community.
The report is available for free at Symantec's Web site.