21.01.2010
FICORA's CERT-FI annual review 2009 Malware was spreading widely
In 2009, the Conficker malware spread to millions of computers but it did not cause a lot of damage. Various kinds of malware were primarily used to steal users' personal data. Malware was spread through hacked websites and e-mail, but also to a specific and carefully restricted group of recipients. Finnish organisations were targets, too.
Intensified cooperation with international players
Successful prevention of activities that endanger information network security requires international cooperation between the various parties. Regulators, operators and the information security community have succeeded in their cooperation for combating the spread of malware. An example from autumn 2009 is a denial-of-service attack with global effects. Thanks to the good international cooperation, it was possible to take quick measures to limit the impacts of the attack and resolve the case.
European CERT players in comparison
CERT-FI finalised its study on the European CERT players. The results of the first-of-its-kind study in Europe have also aroused interest at international level. The study found that capabilities for a successful CERT work vary to a rather great extent between the European countries.
In addition, FICORA has provided international expert advice for example in Africa where national CERT work was being set up.
Future prospects
Information security in social network services will require more attention due to the fact that these services are being used for hoaxing or spreading of malware. Mobile phones will also be increasingly tempting for malpractice.
CERT-FI publishes a quarterly overview of information security, which deals with the most significant threats to information security. The objective of the reviews is to support companies and organisations in their attempts to improve the management of information security risks. The CERT-FI information security annual review 2009 is available in Finnish on the CERT-FI website at www.cert.fi. An English version will be published soon.
Further information:
Ari Husa, Information Security Adviser, tel. +358 9 6966 842, +358 40 722 3130
Erka Koivunen, Head of CERT-FI, tel. +358 50 309 8094
