However, last year also saw some very high profile successful investigations which have resulted in major busts of criminal networks. The gang behind the Zeus Trojan was arrested in September after stealing millions from U.S and UK bank accounts. LeaseWeb was involved in an incident that received worldwide attention in the media involving an operation led by the Dutch police, which secured the takedown of servers associated with the information-stealing Bredolab botnet, estimated to have infected 30 million computers worldwide. But these steps have nevertheless failed to stop all malicious activity associated with the botnet network. LeaseWeb has been an internationally recognized leader in internet security, through its Community Outreach program and other initiatives. We are often asked what server customers can do to stay protected on the net in 2011, and what potential security issues should be monitored? We see the following trends in 2011:

1. Increased security initiatives for smartphones and cloud computing:
Having people access information from various devices and locations is a security nightmare, and 2011 may be the year that many of these flaws are exposed and concerted efforts made to obtain a more secure environment. LeaseWeb continually audits its procedures and operations to ensure customers receive a most secure hosting environment.

2. Global legislation:
This year will see a major response to cyber threats by national and international legislative bodies. The UK Government highlighted online security as a major risk and pledged £500m to fighting cybercrime during the spending review last year, whilst the European Commission has just unveiled its security plan which includes proposals for greater cyberspace protection. LeaseWeb believes any legislation that targets malware, must allow hosts to safeguard the privacy of users and customers in the most effective way possible. The right to privacy for legitimate internet activities must always be paramount.

3. Government sponsored cyber attacks on the back of Stuxnet: Many security experts have suggested that cyber warfare will rise in 2011, as some countries seek to use malware to obtain privileged information. Whilst these incidents may not be in the magnitude of Stuxnet, it is a very real threat which LeaseWeb continues to monitor. Clearly one of the factors in choosing a reliable host must be the quality and security of services provided. Locating your data infrastructure in a secure hosting “neighborhood” will be of a high priority for many enterprises, governments and individuals in 2011. Recognizing the value of a host that emphasized safe internet practices and protocols will assume an increasing prominence in the future.

4. Hacktavists:
The Anonymous Group, campaigning for Wikileaks, has paved the way for a whole breed of new hackers looking to get across a political agenda. This year will see even more attacks against organisations deemed to be doing wrong and many global enterprises will be looking to improve security across their network.

The bottom line is internet security must always be a serious concern for any serious organization. LeaseWeb invests considerable resources in maintaining a top notch security department able to respond to security issues promptly and efficiently. To ensure the quality of service and the peace of mind LeaseWeb customers expect, LeaseWeb is committed to remaining a leader in internet hosting security in the coming year and will redouble its efforts to maintain a secure hosting environment for our clients..