Software competition opens door for cybercrime

Cape Town – Competitive pressure may be a contributing factor to the spread of malware, even as advances are made in software security, an expert has said.

“With the competitive capabilities right now to try and be the first, biggest and baddest, the development houses that are internal to the organisation are under severe pressure to deliver on certain things,” Andrew Kirkland, Trustwave regional director for Africa told News24.

Software professionals have been shocked by the number and scale of recent security lapses.

Online retail giant eBay admitted that more than 140 million site users were exposed when hackers stole usernames and passwords, though the company denied that credit card numbers were compromised.

Adobe has been hit with a number of vulnerabilities in its popular Flash software that has seen the company scrambling to release patches with mixed success as it was forced to cope with cybercriminals who may potentially steal personal information.

Sourse: news24.com