Stefan Mileschin

Insecurity outfit Websense claims that Windows 8 will become one of the top three most hacked platforms in 2013 alongside Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

This is somewhat surprising because for Windows 8 to be attacked on such a scale, it would have to be more popular that Windows 7 or Windows XP.

So far sales figures have not indicated that Windows 8 would be that much of a significant target during 2013 for hackers to be bothered about. But Websense's beef appears to be with open systems. It claimed that Redmond's efforts to produce an extremely developer friendly platform will make it a soft target for the cybercriminal community.

The report said that if Microsoft delivers on its promise to be more developer friendly the rate of threat growth on Microsoft mobile devices will be the highest.

Websense's logic is that the more open the operating system is, then the more likely it is that it will be hit by hackers. According to the firm, Android will be targeted because of its open nature.

Google's efforts to reduce fragmentation and the platform's overall mobile market share will draw in even more cybercriminals than in previous years.

The report claims that Apple will be the most secure because it is closed. Which is a statement that will amuse anyone in the security industry. Apple is famous for being the first to fall in hacker competitions. Linux, which is the most open saucey, is the least attacked.

The company made seven predictions for 2013: Mobile devices will be the new target for cross-platform threats, cybercriminals will use bypass methods to avoid traditional sandbox detection. legitimate mobile app stores will host more malware in 2013, government-sponsored attacks will increase as new players enter, hactivists will move to the next level as simplistic opportunities dwindle, malicious emails will make a comeback, and cybercriminals will follow the crowds to legitimate content management systems and web platforms.

http://news.techeye.net/security/win...oice-next-year