Nasdaq Notifies People On Possible Security Breach

By Author: Peter Martin
Total Articles: 211
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Financial institutions have long been target of attackers. The use of phishing attacks to lead unwary customers to a look-alike but fake website has been a common practice for many years. In the recent times, cybercriminals have launched targeted (spear phishing) attacks through cleverly crafted e-mails that appear to coming from a supervisor, subordinate or other peers. Last year, attackers used more sophisticated mechanisms such as the use of ZeuS and Bugat Trojans to trick professionals working in financial organizations.

The recent reports indicate that attackers have identified wider targets in the form of stock exchanges and financial markets. The recent revelations suggest that attackers intruded into the networks of Nasdaq several times during the course of last year. Information security professionals at Nasdaq OMX group have identified suspicious files on the computer servers of the premier U.S based stock exchange. Nasdaq OMX runs the Nasdaq stock exchange.

The stock exchange lists top global companies and influences the trading on other exchanges worldwide. Investigations carried out till now do ...
... not reveal compromise of trading platforms, nor suggest any information security breach. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is examining the alleged intrusion. The intrusion allegedly affected the servers, which have information related to new services offered to business corporations for enhancing the exchange's income over the normal trading fees.

Ironically, the attacks are revealed at a time when equity mutual funds have indicated recovery after a very long slump. The attacks may dent the confidence of the investors, who were regaining faith after a long economic slowdown. Security breach of servers and trading platform of Nasdaq may result in leakage of large chunks of sensitive business information related to numerous companies.

Critical national and international institutions face threat of intrusions from cybercriminals. Regular in-depth tests with ethical hacking techniques are crucial to identify vulnerabilities at the earliest and strengthen the defenses against intrusions and unauthorized access.