Symantec has identified a new series of targeted attacks, dubbed the Shamoon attacks, affecting the energy sector. Until now, targeted attacks used customized malware and refined targeted social engineering to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information. However, unlike the earlier trend, the Shamoon attacks seek to render infected computers unusable by corrupting critical files.
“Cyber-attacks today are a perfect example of fact following fiction. A few years ago, it was only in the movies that we saw sophisticated threats that could sabotage systems or potentially cause explosions,” said Shantanu Ghosh, VP & MD, India Product Operations.
“Stuxnet was a marker that we have entered a new world, where organized and politically motivated cyber criminals are crafting sophisticated threats aimed at wreaking havoc in the physical world. Two years since we first detected Stuxnet, we have seen many more cyber-attacks of similar sophistication—Duqu, Nitro and most recently, Flamer,” he added.
Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 17 revealed that targeted attacks and APTs would continue to be a serious issue and the frequency and sophistication of these attacks would increase. Techniques and exploits developed for targeted attacks would trickle down to the broader underground economy and be used to make regular malware more dangerous.