Charts illustrate the most frequently attacked operating systems
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- A new study finds that more than one-third of Web hosts were repeat victims of phishing attacks that resulted in successful phishing on their server platforms.
This report comes two weeks after Google blocked a spear-phishing attempt directed at the Gmail accounts of US government officials.
The survey, released by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (http://www.antiphishing.org/) on Thursday, collected responses from 270 website managers to assess website vulnerabilities and track phishing patterns.
The report finds that 37 percent of respondents had phishing or spoof sites planted on their servers two or more times before, a statistic that APWG says reflects the persistence of phishers and the complications associated with blocking them.
“Phishers value compromised web sites highly because they are much harder for interveners to take down," Dave Piscitello of ICANN and APWG researcher said in a statement. "They’re confident that they’ll be able to identify and exploit sites, and do so repeatedly. Victims are not mitigating exploits entirely or are not implementing adequate measures to keep them away."
“Keeping all components of a website – OS, web server, applications, and content - patch current and applying the most secure configuration options possible could significantly reduce initial and repeat attacks,” Piscitello added.
According to the report, one in five victims of phishing said the attacks were discovered by their own staff, while over half of respondents were informed of the attack by third-party security companies.
The survey finds that 76 percent of respondents run on Linux OS, making it the most frequently attacked operating system.
Piscitello says that few organizations take real time monitoring or examination of logs for suspicious activities seriously.
APWG's Internet Policy Committee began the online survey 18 months ago and the 270 completed surveys are just the first tally. The online survey is open here.
Article Source http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/060911_APWG_Survey_Finds_One_Third_of_Web_Hosts_Are_Repeat_Victims_of_Phishing permits to republish here.
__
__
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Click Most Updated Discount Coupon Codes & My Personal Web Hosting Recommendations
Click http://nightwishmarketing.web.officelive.com/WebHosting.aspx
Stay Tuned!
Click http://nightwishmarketing.web.officelive.com/WebHosting.aspx
Stay Tuned!
<<<<<<<<<<<<
____
