Websense Unveils Third Annual Canadian Cybercrime Report Card

Increases in advanced malware and C&C behavior, decrease in hosted phishing

TORONTO, June 12, 2013 /CNW/ - Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), a global leader in protecting organizations from the latest cyber attacks and data theft, today released its third annual Canadian Cybercrime Report Card. New Websense® Security Labs™ research on advanced malware and phishing behavior reveals that foreign companies are increasingly setting up virtual bases in Canada to drive corporate espionage attacks.

"Canadian cybercriminal activity is quickly evolving and taking on more nefarious forms," said Carl Leonard, senior manager of security research for Websense. "Hackers are moving away from the broad 'spam everyone' approach because it only yields cents on the click. They've set their sights on much more targeted attacks where social engineering of the actual user can turn into millions of dollars in potential criminal profit."

Key Websense Security Labs Findings:

• 25 percent increase in malware hosting: Malware hosting on Canadian websites increased 25 percent year-over-year. In the last three months, Canada claimed the number 10 position for all countries hosting malware. There are several reasons for this increase ranging from compromised ISPs to large-scale compromises of Canadian sites built on vulnerable content management platforms like Wordpress.
• 83 percent increase in C&C hosting: Hackers provide instructions to malware through command and control (C&C) servers, including what data to look for, where to look and where to send the pilfered goods. In the last year, the number of C&C servers on Canadian soil has increased 83 percent and moved Canada to the eighth spot on the current 2013 global cybercrime list.
• 67 percent decrease in hosted phishing sites: Over the last two years, hackers and spammers have targeted Canada's trusted soil and servers for hosted phishing sites. However, in the last year, phishing decreased by 67 percent. Even with the broad decrease in phishing sites, in the first quarter of 2013, Canada is currently fourth on the global cybercrime list for hosted phishing sites.
• Third largest volume of hosted advanced malware C&C servers: Foreign cybercriminals are setting up virtual bases in Canada to command corporate espionage attacks. Websense monitored the type of advanced malware used in the most sophisticated corporate espionage incidents and found that Canada hosts a disproportionate volume of advanced malware command and control servers. In fact, last year Canada hosted the third largest volume of servers communicating with the type of highly sophisticated malware responsible for stealing valuable corporate data. That is ahead of Korea, Germany, Russia and even China.

"Malware authors don't do things that are predictable," said Fiaaz Walji, Websense Canadian country manager. "They have more success with their malicious plots by disguising their transfers from a 'trusted' server in Canada, as opposed to Russia, China or other countries with established cybercriminal activity. Organizations need a unified solution that integrates web, data, email, mobile and cloud security to stop advanced data stealing attacks and secure IP better than their competitors."

Multimedia Elements:

A full copy of the Websense third annual Canadian Cybercrime Report Card can be downloaded here.

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About Websense, Inc.

Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) is a global leader in protecting organizations from the latest cyber attacks and data theft. Websense TRITON comprehensive security solutions unify web security, email security, mobile security and data loss prevention (DLP) at the lowest total cost of ownership. Tens of thousands of enterprises rely on Websense TRITON security intelligence to stop advanced persistent threats, targeted attacks and evolving malware. Websense prevents data breaches, intellectual property theft and enforces security compliance and best practices. A global network of channel partners distributes scalable, unified appliance- and cloud-based Websense TRITON solutions.

Websense TRITON stops more threats, visit www.websense.com/proveit to see proof. To access the latest Websense security insights and connect through social media, please visit www.websense.com/smc. For more information, visit www.websense.com and www.websense.com/triton.

Websense Media Contact:
Patricia Hogan
Websense, Inc.
(858) 320-9393
phogan@websense.com

SOURCE: Websense, Inc.

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