Researchers: Cyberattacks outstripping defences

Cyberattacks today have become so complex that there may be no real way to completely protect against them, internet security researchers have warned.

Speaking to the media in Kuala Lumpur at this week's Hack in the Box Security Conference, Lance Spitzner, president of the Honeynet Project, said malicious software writers have been producing sophisticated codes, motivated mainly by the prospect of making millions of dollars from their exploits.

"The techniques used by criminal hackers are changing so rapidly now that it's difficult to keep up with them," Spitzner said. "In the end, it's all about returns on investment [for the hackers] because, by changing their attacks, there is so much more money to make."