Saturday, September 27, 2008 Symantec adopts wait-see stance on open source OS
EVEN with the growing popularity of open source technology, Symantec’s Norton 2009 products are designed to protect only computers with Windows and Mac operating systems (OS).
David Freer, Symantec vice president for consumer sales in Asia Pacific and Japan, said the computer security solutions provider is studying recent trends in the use of open source technology.
He told journalists during the launch of the Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton AntiVirus 2009 at the Sepang (not Sempang as earlier reported) International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that Symantec will “wait and see” if use of open source operating system (OS) reaches a “critical mass.”
He noted the growing demand for netbooks in the Philippines, many of which run on Linux or open source technology. But he said many netbook owners later switch to Windows OS, so the number of computers with open source OS has not reached a “critical mass” yet.
Besides, he said, there is not enough threat against computers using open source OS and software.
He said the subject of most attacks on the Web is Internet Explorer. Other sites or applications often attacked include RealPlayer, Apple QuickTime, Windows Media Player, MS Word, WinZip and Xunlei Thunder.
Consumer behavior
In his presentation during the Norton 2009 products launch, Freer said attacks against computers are now focused on browser plug-ins and multimedia-based applications as more people view and share videos and photos online.
“The threat landscape is driven by consumer behavior,” he said.
Symantec has observed about 10,000 unique attacks on domains or websites daily.
Freer said attacks against PCs have evolved from those that duped users into opening attachments that contained viruses and worms, to those that fool users into installing programs (like adware or spyware) and to phishing that targets those that conduct online banking.
Recently, though, attackers have been observed hacking into known and legit websites, attacking unsuspecting visitors, he said.
Symantec reported that the number of malware and greyware rose from less than 200,000 in January 2005 to about 1.6 million in May 2008. Malware or greyware is a malicious software, program or file that is designed to damage or disrupt a system without the consent of the owner or user.
Freer said users who share photos or videos are vulnerable to attacks that dupe them into installing fake codecs and setup applications. These will lead to Trojan installations, which will cause the installation of more malware and spyware.
The Storm Trojan has been identified as the most active and prevalent threat against computers in the past 18 months. It has infected more than one million systems.
Freer said threats are focused on web browser and plug-in vulnerabilities, adding that the attacks use trickery that are targeted on photo- and video-sharing and viewing sites and social networks, among others. (LAP)
