As we enter 2007, the security landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Here are the key threats and trends that security teams need to prepare for.
The Threat Landscape
Targeted attacks will increase. Broad, indiscriminate attacks are giving way to highly targeted attacks against specific organizations and individuals. These spear phishing attacks use personal information harvested from social networks to craft convincing messages that bypass technical and human defenses.
Zero-day exploits will be weaponized faster. The time between vulnerability disclosure and active exploitation continues to shrink. In some cases, weaponized exploits appear within hours of a vulnerability being disclosed. Organizations must accelerate their patching cycles to keep pace.
Technology Trends
UTM adoption will accelerate among SMBs. Unified Threat Management appliances — combining firewall, VPN, antivirus, IPS, and web filtering — provide enterprise-class security at SMB price points. Expect continued growth in this segment as small businesses become more security-conscious.
NAC will move from hype to deployment. After two years of heavy marketing, NAC is finally mature enough for practical enterprise deployment. Expect significant adoption in regulated industries in 2007.