Antivirus company Kaspersky Lab expects the number of targeted attacks on busi- nesses, aimed at cyber espionage, to continue in 2013. It is becoming the most significant threat to businesses.

“We expect this year to be filled with high-profile attacks on consumers, businesses and governments and to see the first signs of notable attacks against the critical industrial infrastructure. The most notable trends of 2013 will be new examples of cyber-warfare operations, increasing targeted attacks on businesses and new, sophisticated mobile threats,” says Kaspersky Lab Global Research & Analysis Team director Costin Raiu.

The explosive growth of mobile malware was evident last year, with cyber criminals’ primary focus being the Android platform, as it was the most popular and widely used.

“In 2013, we are likely to see a new alarming trend – the use of vulnerabilities to extend ‘drive-by download’ attacks on mobile devices. This means that personal and corporate data stored on smartphones and tablets will be targeted as frequently as conventional computers. For the same reasons of rising popularity, new sophisticated attacks will also be [launched] against owners of Apple devices,” Raiu reports.

As the vulnerabilities of mobile devices become an increasing threat to users, computer application and program vulnerabilities will continue to be exploited.

Kaspersky Lab declared 2012 the year of Java vulnerabilities and, in 2013, Java will continue to be exploited by cyber criminals on a massive scale.

However, although Java will continue to be a target for exploits, the importance of Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader as malware gateways will decrease, as the latest versions include automated update systems for patching security vulnerabilities.

The developments in social networks and new threats that affect consumers and busi- nesses have drastically changed the perception of online privacy and trust.

A significant portion of consumers’ personal data is handed over to online services, but the trustworthiness of these services is being questioned. Such confidence has already been shaken in the wake of major password leaks from some of the most popular web services, such as Dropbox and LinkedIn, highlights Kaspersky.

The value of personal data for cybercriminals and legitimate businesses is destined to grow significantly in the near future.

Meanwhile, State-sponsored cyber warfare will continue this year. During 2012, Kaspersky Lab discovered three new major malicious programmes that were used in cyber warfare operations: Flame, Gauss and miniFlame.

While Flame was the largest and most sophisticated of the cyber-espionage programmes, its longevity was its most promi- nent characteristic. Being at least a five-year- old project, Flame was an example of a complex, malicious programme that could exist undetected for an extended period while collecting massive amounts of data and sensitive information from its victims.

Kaspersky Lab experts expect more countries to develop their own cyber programmes for the purposes of combat, cyber espionage and cyber sabotage. These attacks will affect not only government institutions but also busi- nesses and critical infrastructure facilities.

Another trend that will likely impact on companies and governments is the continued rise of “hacktivism” and its concomitant politically motivated cyber attacks, Kaspersky Lab concludes.