Published on the 18/04/2013 | Written by Newsdesk

Australia has edged higher in Symantec’s computer security tables – rising from the 24th to the 21st rung on the risk ladder – reflecting the increased rate of attack on organisations over the last 12 months as tracked by security specialist Symantec. Large enterprises which still feel that they have computer security in hand may have to reconsider that position as small and medium businesses in their supply chain are increasingly being targeted as potential weak links in enterprise supply chains.

According to Peter Sparkes, director of managed security services for Symantec in Asia Pacific and Japan, 31 percent of computer attacks are now launched against SMBs. “But they are being used as a leapfrog into larger businesses,” he warned. Sparkes said that cyber-criminals were targeting smaller companies which were less vigilant about computer security in order to eventually break into larger enterprises.

Symantec’s Security Threat Report noted that web based attacks had risen 30 percent during the year, many originating from the compromised websites of SMBs which had been set up as “watering holes” for larger companies.

When the larger business visited their supplier’s compromised website it then infected the larger business.

Sparkes also warned that the range of companies being targeted had widened. “People still have the perception that this is just finance and government. But all industries are being targeted,” he said, with utilities and manufacturing being under particular attack as cyber criminals sought to capture or compromise intellectual property and personal information.

He said that the multiple approaches now being used to compromise security meant perimeter protection was no longer sufficient and that proper defence required multiple overlapping security technologies.

Overall Symantec claimed that there had been a 42 percent surge in targeted attacks during 2012.