{"id":2270,"date":"2011-07-15T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2011-07-15T15:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.formtek.com\/blog\/?p=2270"},"modified":"2011-07-15T07:00:18","modified_gmt":"2011-07-15T15:00:18","slug":"security-the-rise-of-the-advanced-persistent-threat-apt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/formtek.com\/blog\/security-the-rise-of-the-advanced-persistent-threat-apt\/","title":{"rendered":"Security: The Rise of the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>2011 has seen a wave of high-profile security breaches, including targets like <a title=\"RSA Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eweek.com\/c\/a\/Security\/RSA-Warns-SecurID-Customers-of-Data-Breach-395221\/\" target=\"_blank\">RSA<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Sony Data Breech\" href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2011\/04\/26\/us-sony-stoldendata-idUSTRE73P6WB20110426\" target=\"_blank\">Sony<\/a>, <a title=\"Lockheed Martin Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/gamutnews.com\/20110528\/11525\/data-breach-affects-lockheed-martin.html\" target=\"_blank\">Lockheed Martin<\/a>, <a title=\"Citibroup Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/fdc\/welcome_mjx.shtml\" target=\"_blank\">Citigroup<\/a>, <a title=\"Sega Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tgdaily.com\/games-and-entertainment-brief\/56727-sega-says-13-million-affected-by-data-breach\" target=\"_blank\">Sega<\/a>, the <a title=\"Breach at the IMF\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eweek.com\/c\/a\/Security\/IMF-Breach-May-Be-StateSponsored-Spear-Phishing-Attack-526401\/\" target=\"_blank\">IMF<\/a>, the <a title=\"UK NHS Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.zdnet.co.uk\/news\/compliance\/2010\/06\/01\/nhs-top-culprit-as-uk-data-breaches-exceed-1000-40089098\/\" target=\"_blank\">UK NHS<\/a> and even the <a title=\"CIA Data Breach\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/2300-501465_162-10008346.html\" target=\"_blank\">CIA<\/a>. \u00a0many of the biggest exploits were perpetrated by the group called\u00a0<a title=\"Lultz Sec\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/article2\/0,2817,2387696,00.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Lulz Sec<\/a>. \u00a0The group claims to have since \u00a0disbanded, but that will not bring an end to data breaches.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s been so many breaches recently that a new term, <em>Advanced Persistent Threat<\/em> (APT), has been coined. \u00a0Wikipedia defines APT&#8217;s as\u00a0Advanced persistent threat (APT) as &#8220;a group, such as a foreign nation state government, \u00a0with both the capability and the intent to persistently and effectively target a specific entity. The term is \u00a0commonly used to refer to cyber threats, in particular that of Internet enabled espionage, but applies equally\u00a0to other threats such as that of traditional espionage or attack.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In 2011, APT&#8217;s have jumped to one of the top three security worries by IT groups, ranking higher than even web application vulnerabilities. \u00a0A survey by <a title=\"nCircle Security compliance survey\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ncircle.com\/index.php?s=news_press_2011_06-01-nCircle-Announces-Results-of-2011-Information-Security-and-Compliance-Trend-Study\" target=\"_blank\">nCircle<\/a> found that 16 percent of IT groups considered APT&#8217;s their top security concern.<\/p>\n<p>APT&#8217;s are not new, but it appears that the frequency and the sophistication of them has increased over the last year. \u00a0<a title=\"APT's at Northrup Grumman\" href=\"http:\/\/www.eweek.com\/c\/a\/Security\/Northrop-Grumman-Regularly-Repels-Advanced-Attacks-Seeking-Sensitive-Data-395653\/\" target=\"_blank\">At Northrup-Grumman<\/a>, for example, 300 &#8216;zero day&#8217; attacks were recorded in 2010. \u00a0In 2011, a typically day at Northrup-Grumman now deals with several such attacks.<\/p>\n<p>At the Gartner 2011 Security and Rick conference, <a title=\"John Pescatore, gartner analyst\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gartner.com\/AnalystBiography?authorId=14409\" target=\"_blank\">John Pescatore<\/a>, analyst for Gartner, <a title=\"John Pescatore at Gartner conference\" href=\"http:\/\/www.infosecurity-us.com\/view\/18897\/the-hype-and-the-reality-behind-advanced-persistent-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">said <\/a>that &#8220;there is no such thing as the unstoppable attack in cybersecurity. \u00a0Every attack, in order to succeed, needs to exploit a vulnerability.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>APT attacks are not going to be going away any time soon, but it is clear that they have seized the attention of governments and corporations. \u00a0In the world of the internet and cloud computing, security will become something which cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n<div id=\"_mcePaste\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"lightsocial_container\"><div class=\"lightsocial_element\"><a class=\"lightsocial_a\" href=\"http:\/\/digg.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fformtek.com%2Fblog%2Fsecurity-the-rise-of-the-advanced-persistent-threat-apt%2F&amp;title=\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lightsocial_img\" src=\"https:\/\/formtek.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/light-social\/digg.png\" alt=\"Digg This\" title=\"Digg This\" \/><\/a><\/div><div class=\"lightsocial_element\"><a class=\"lightsocial_a\" href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fformtek.com%2Fblog%2Fsecurity-the-rise-of-the-advanced-persistent-threat-apt%2F&amp;title=\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lightsocial_img\" 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