Global malware evolution
Understanding the evolution of malware will help CISOs and security teams put the hysteria they read in the news into context. Keep the Cybersecurity Usual Suspects in the back of your mind as you read this section.
In the wake of the successful large-scale worm attacks of 2003 and early 2004, Microsoft introduced Windows XP Service Pack 2 in August of 2004. Among other things, Windows XP Service Pack 2 turned on the Windows Firewall by default for the first time in a Windows operating system. Prior to this, it was an optional setting that was left to customers to turn on, configure, and test with their applications. This service pack also offered Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and Data Execution Prevention (DEP) for the first time in a Windows operating system (David Ladd, 2011). These three features blunted the success of future mass worm attacks that sought to use the same tactics as SQL Slammer and MSBlaster.
A vulnerability in a service...