Cisco Releases Inaugural Report On Global Security

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The report provides threat intelligence on 7 Risk Categories, predictions for Next Year, and guidance.

In an effort to shed greater light on growing trends involving security threats around the world, Cisco announced the release of its first annual report on the global state of security, spotlighting challenges that businesses, government organizations, and consumers increasingly face and offering guidance on how to guard against them.

The 2007 Cisco Annual Security Report, released in conjunction with the company’s new Cisco Security Center, provides a concise summary of the past year’s major issues. It offers threat predictions for 2008 and recommendations from Cisco security practitioners, such as Chief Security Officer John Stewart and Vice President of Technical Support Dave Goddard. While many end-of-year industry reports focus on the activity of content security threats (e.g. viruses, worms, Trojans, Spam, phishing, etc.).

While the report’s findings are dense, many prevailing takeaways reinforce the fact that threats and attacks are more global and sophisticated i

n nature, and this trend will continue in 2008. As Web 2.0 technology evolves and adoption of more and more IP-connected devices, applications, and communication methods increases, a greater number and opportunity for attacks unfold. Combined, these trends are writing a new chapter in the history of security threats and attack methodologies.

Years ago, viruses and worms ransacked computer systems for the sole purpose of causing damage and gaining notoriety. As Internet adoption and e-commerce increased, blended threats (e.g. Spam-enabled phishing attacks, botnets, etc.) emerged with the intent to steal money and personal information.

According to Stewart, information security is no longer just a battle against a virus or Spam attack. There are oftentimes legal, identity-based, and political factors involved. He pointed to identity theft at major retailers and a recent distributed denial-of-service attack reportedly launched by hacker gangs within Russia on its neighbor

Estonia this spring as examples. The cyber attack, which stemmed from outrage over Estonian authorities’ decision to move a Soviet-era war memorial from a park, derailed many of the country’s government Web sites.