This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
What Websites Are Most at Risk?
Certain websites—often for their size, prosperity, status, or popularity—are conspicuous and consistent targets of malware threats. Obviously, none of the affected businesses intends to cower or fold up in the face of malware threats—indeed, most are among the most highly protected and vigilant.
But all website owners are smart to understand which Web categories are most at risk, especially if their business depends on maintaining sound defenses against persistent cybersecurity attacks.
Security firm Symantec’s 2011 Internet Security Threat Report lists the types of websites most frequently attacked and infested by various kinds of malware (Table 4.1):
Table 4.1.
|
Most Exploited Websites |
Percent of Infected Websites |
|
blogs/Web communications |
19.8% |
|
hosting/Personal hosting websites |
15.6% |
|
business/economy |
10.0% |
|
shopping |
7.7% |
|
education/reference |
6.9% |
|
technology, Computer, and internet |
6.9% |
|
entertainment and Music |
3.8% |
|
automotive |
3.8% |
|
health and Medicine |
2.7% |
Furthermore, according to a 2011 Ponemon study, the rise of mobile workers, PC vulnerabilities, and the use of third-party applications on the network are the greatest areas of endpoint security risk today.
To prevent malware attacks, consider limiting network access via smartphones or personal devices, so that only certain staff members can access your networks. Even then, you might want to put further restrictions on access so that they can reach only certain parts of your networks.