Trend Micro researchers and analysts have been instrumental in uncovering various cybercriminal operations. In an effort to aid law enforcement authorities, they uncovered some popular FAKEAV affiliate networks and a particular SpyEye operation, which may bring authorities one step closer to catching the perpetrators. In 2011, we witnessed an increase in the Android malware volume, more enhancements to notorious crimeware toolkits such as ZeuS andSpyEye, as well as the proliferation of survey scams in social media. As in the previous months, cybercriminals continued to employ very enticing social engineering tactics to lure targets.

There was a huge trail of social networking scams which was witnessed.  Some of the prominent scams happened around the Celebrity Deaths and Natural Disasters. In the last quarter, there were three Facebook scams that leveraged probably two issues that usually piqued users’ interest—celebrity news and natural disasters. One scam abused news of Amy Winehouse’s death while another leveraged Lady Gaga’s supposed death. Both scams employed the use of Wall posts that led to either a survey page or to an advertising site, which put users at risk. The huge following of “The Twilight Saga” movies did not escape cybercriminal interest as well. As early as August, attackers spread Facebook Wall posts that enticed users to click a malicious link in order to get free tickets to“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” As in other survey scams, of course, all the users ended up with were potential security risks. Cybercriminals also did not pass up the opportunity to lure Facebook users in search of news of Hurricane Irene into their traps. This particular scam led users who wanted to watch a supposed video to advertising sites instead.

Despite Facebook’s continuing reign in terms of social media popularity, less-known social networking sites likeGoogle+ and LinkedIn also had their time in the cybercrime spotlight. Trend Micro engineers came across a page that enticed users to click a link to get free invitations to Google’s latest stab at taking a slice of the social media pie—Google+. Instead of invitations to join the site, however, all the users got was an “opportunity” to take part in a survey that put them at risk.

The upcoming new year will see cybercriminals act with even more persistency and sophistication, as the world shifts from the PC-centric desktop toward mobile and cloud computing. The repercussion for IT administrators will be an imperative to approach security with a data-centric framework – protecting the data, not just the systems -- according to Trend Micro’s global network of threat researchers and analysts. Trend Micro has just released its “12 Threat Predictions for 2012”.

Trend Micro Predicts, In 2012 the new social networking generation will redefine “privacy.” Young social networkers have a different attitude toward protecting and sharing information: They are more likely to reveal personal information online to a wider audience beyond their friends. In time, privacy-conscious people will become the minority—an ideal prospect for attackers.