Come 2008, security firms brace up for another year of malware attacks in an industry that saw much organization on the dark side.

Much as the Web has reduced the barrier to connectivity, it has also reduced the barrier to vulnerability. With more networking, the chances for abuse and misuse of user data is a live threat, always.

2007 saw a great multitude of online applications from Web giants such as Google and several innovative niche players such as Zoho. Also, the vulnerabilities that target Web-based applications will see a dramatic increase this year.

Spam continues to be a major irritant with organized botnet herding now getting more commercial.

The security industry needs a major strategy shift in detecting attack vectors. In earlier days, it took a user to load an infected file and run it to actually trigger an attack. All it takes today is a naive click. Hence the gap of response to an attack, as in preparing a signature for detection, does provide malware with enough PCs to prey upon.

Security firms are making the shift to behavioral and other strategies, but it remains to be seen how effective they can really be. Don’t forget that most of the malware target security holes in the software itself.

Here’s wishing a great 2008 to all TechRepublic readers on a secure note.