Symantec Corp's () Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 18 (I) today revealed an increase of 42 percent in 2012 in targeted attacks over the previous year. Designed to steal intellectual property, these cyber-espionage targeted attacks are increasingly affecting the manufacturing sector, as well as small businesses, which are the target of 31 per cent of these attacks. Small businesses are the same attractive targets and a way to finally reach larger companies via "" techniques. In addition, consumers remain vulnerable to ransomware and mobile threats, particularly on the Android platform.
"The ISTR this year shows that cybercriminals are not slowing down, and continue to invent new ways to steal information from organizations of all sizes," said chief technology officer, Symantec. "The sophistication of attacks coupled with the complexity of today's IT, such as virtualization, mobility and cloud, requires companies to remain active and use security measures' defense in depth'per keep up the attacks." Targeted attacks are growing most among firms with fewer than 250 employees. Small businesses are now the target of 31 percent of all attacks, a three-fold increase from 2011.