Security vendor McAfee has predicted that cybercriminals will attack Adobe software more than Microsoft products in 2010, and Panda Security says it will take a few years for malware writers to adjust to Microsoft’s Windows 7.

Favourite applications to attack in 2009 were Adobe Flash and Acrobat Reader, according to a report released by McAfee Labs. Attackers can exploit vulnerabilities in Flash applications via the Web and Acrobat documents via e-mail attachments.

"Based on the current trends," the McAfee report states, "we expect that in 2010 Adobe product exploitation is likely to surpass that of Microsoft Office applications in the number of desktop PCs being attacked."

But McAfee said that 2009 showed some improvement in the battle against cybercrime, saying that two crackdowns by law enforcement in 2009 showed that authorities were getting better at tracking, identifying and catching attackers.

"McAfee believes that in 2010 we'll see many more successes in the pursuit of organized cybercriminals," the report states. "The cooperation among international cybercrime-fighting agencies is now tighter than ever, and the cybercrime Elliott Nesses of today have the computer and network sophistication that their predecessors could not dream of just 10 years ago."

Thanks to these crackdowns and others, McAfee  thinks that botnets will decrease as cybercriminals focus on using other means.

McAfee previously said that popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be major platforms for cyber crime throughout 2010. This is in part because users of social networking sites and third-party applications may be more trusting of clicking onto links through these sites than in other online situations.

In particular, McAfee believes the abbreviated URLs on Twitter could help to hide any sinister sites that may be otherwise detectable.

McAfee also predicts that in 2010:

• HTML5 and Google Chrome OS will "blur the line" between desktop and online applications, creating more possible vulnerabilities;
• Malware attacks through e-mail will continue to increase against corporations, journalists and individuals;
• Trojans could make unauthorized withdrawals during legitimate banking transactions;

Panda Security says malware Tops 25 million in 2009

PandaLab's annual malware report provide an overview of attacks and malware in 2009, including social engineering trends and Web 2.0-based attacks, Trojans, and Conficker, and more politically motivated hacking.

Predictions in the report include:

• More security will be provided through the cloud.
• The "avalanche" of malware will continue.
• More drive-by Web downloads, social engineering, and BlackHat SEO
• It will take a few years for malware writers to adjust to Windows 7.
• This year will NOT be the year of widespread mobile phone malware.
• Attacks aimed at OS X will edge up.