A major change in the methods used by hackers to break into
computers has been revealed in a report issued by an influential
research institute on Tuesday. The study suggests that computer
criminals have shifted attention away from bugs in operating
system software, such as Microsoft's Windows platform, to focus
on flaws in individual software packages. The non-profit SANS
Institute, based in Maryland, US, reveals the change in tactics
in its Top 20 report on software vulnerabilities. "We are seeing
a trend to exploit not only Windows, but other vendor programs
installed on large numbers of systems," says Rohit Dhamankar,
project manager for the report. "These include back-up software,
anti-virus software, database software and even media players."
The report says that, over the last five years, hackers focused
predominantly on operating systems. The shift away from this has
been brought about by greater focus on security from operating
system developers, the researchers write. They note, for
example, that Mi