Top hacker targets named

Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been named one of the internet's top 20 hacker targets by a leading security organisation.

Security from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for Antivirus
B is for Botnets
C is for CMA
D is for DDoS
E is for Extradition
F is for Federated identity
G is for Google
H is for Hackers
I is for IM
J is for Jaschan (Sven)
K is for Kids
L is for Love Bug
M is for Microsoft
N is for Neologisms
O is for Orange
P is for Passwords
Q is for Questions
R is for Rootkits
S is for Spyware
T is for Two-factor authentication
U is for USB sticks/devices
V is for Virus variants
W is for Wi-fi
X is for OS X
Y is for You
Z is for Zero-day

The SANS Institute also said Microsoft Office and Windows Libraries and Services are some of the most vulnerable applications available on computers today.

But Microsoft was not alone in the annual list - Apple's Mac OS X was also catalogued, along with "configuration weaknesses" in Unix.

The list of the top 20 targets is written by members of the institute and security experts from the tech industry and government to indicate which network features could leave a company vulnerable to attack.

SANS also named web applications, P2P file-sharing software, media players, VoIP phones and people themselves as some of the easiest targets for hackers.

Rohit Dhamankar, chief scientist at TippingPoint and a SANS member, explained some current security theat trends. "We've seen a lot of zero-day vulnerabilities this year. The next big thing is the number of attacks on web applications. There's also continued growth in spear-phishing attacks from Asia and Eastern Europe."