McAfee, a computer security company whose clients include PC World and CNET predicts in 2010. In their Threat Predictions report Adobe Reader and Flash and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter would become soft targets for cybercriminals to spoof in 2010.
In its 2010 Threat Predictions report, McAfee forecasts that Microsoft Operating systems have fallen prey to cyber attacks from hackers, but software and social networking sites are likely to be their new target. On the grounds that hackers want to get a sense of wielding far-reaching influence, they tend to be keen on breaking into universal operating systems and software. MS Office applications such as Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader are expected to be the prey of malware writers. Except for Adobe, Mozilla's Firefox web browser and Apple' QuickTime are also likely to be threatened by cybercriminals.
The computer security company also expects that social networking site such as Twitter and Facebook would become playgrounds for cybercriminals intent on disseminating malware, such as computer viruses and spyware. For Facebook, malware disguised as instant messages from friends and application programs will be the most common form of cyber attack.
David Marcus, McAfee Labs' director of security research and communications, said, "Users of social networking sites often click on messages from friends' and their referrals without suspicion, a practice hacker gleefully takes advantage of this. On Facebook, when users download or open applications, they should take a second look at it, googling more information about them."
