David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab commented on news that French TV network, TV5Monde has suffered a cyberattack,and also discussing how these types of threats are on the rise.
“This is another example of the threats posed by hacktivism. Stealing money or confidential data is not the only motive behind attacks – sometimes the purpose of an attack is to make a political or social point. Unfortunately the rise of such attacks is indicative of society’s increasing reliance on the Internet. Almost all areas of our life now have an online aspect to them, so it’s hardly a surprise to find that social and political activity is moving online too. We also see real-world tensions and conflicts being reflected online – also an indication of how much the Internet is woven into the fabric of our lives.
“The problem is that today such attacks can be set up cheaply and easily, from almost anyone, whether that be a competitor, a dismissed employee, socio-political protesters or just a lone wolf with a grudge. As a result, we’ve seen the volume of targeted attacks rapidly increase in recent years. No matter how big or small an organisation is, the reality now is that everyone is at risk from a cyber-attack, so all organisations need to be vigilant. As with other forms of cyber-attack, attribution is not an easy thing to determine.”
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By David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab
Bio: David has been with Kaspersky Lab since 2004. In his role as Senior Technology Consultant David presented information on malware and other IT threats at exhibitions and events, and provided comment to both broadcast and print media. He also provided information on Kaspersky Lab products and technologies. He was promoted to his current position in 2008. David has a particular interest in the malware ecosystem, ID theft, and Kaspersky Lab technologies, and he conceived and developed the company’s Malware Defence Workshop.
David has worked in the anti-virus industry since 1990 in a variety of roles. Prior to joining Kaspersky Lab David worked as Systems Engineer, Product Manager and Product Marketing Manager at McAfee; and before that as Technical Support Manager and Senior Technology Consultant at Dr Solomon’s Software.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 17-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
