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Malware Count Will Reach 300,000
David Utter
Staff Writer
2007-08-03
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A troublesome milestone rests on the horizon, as McAfee expects to record the 300,000th unique piece of malware very soon.
 | | Malware Count Will Reach 300,000 |  |
Worms, viruses, and Trojans, oh my.
The number of malicious pieces of software floating around the Internet has escalated over the years. Security firm McAfee said in 2000 they had detected over 50,000 items.
That number grew to 100,000 in 2003, then to 200,000 in August 2006. Criminals have continued developing and releasing malware at faster rates. McAfee now estimates malware number 300,000 will hit its books soon.
"Bots, adware, spyware and other attacks make up an over $100 billion global market for cybercrime - surpassing drug trafficking as a global issue from a monetary perspective," said Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager for McAfee Avert Labs.
He has also called for new policy in online security legislation in the United States. It's a well-meaning point of view, but doesn't address the real problem children when it comes to malware for espionage (China) or profit (Russia). Criminal attackers in those countries reside outside our reach.
I asked Marcus about this, and he said, "it's imperative for the United States to continue to build upon our existing legislation to curb the alarming trends of malware and spam." That's fine for the US, but it isn't going to put an end to Russian spamming rings.
As far as China goes, the excitement over that country's bust of a major software counterfeiting ring should be tempered a little. Microsoft now sells Windows in China, official copies of it, for $3. Yes, three dollars, for copies of XP aimed at the Chinese education market.
We have to wonder if this bust even takes place if Microsoft weren't giving up a massive amount of revenue in software sales. The timing of the investigation, which took place over several months leading to the bust, parallels Microsoft's operating system price cutting in China.
Our laws seem to be functional againsts cybercrime, and if legislators can tighten any potential loopholes against criminal spammers we're all in favor of that. But much of the problem rests outside US borders, and until that's addressed we can expect to see McAfee's malware count continue to rise.
About the Author:
David Utter is a business and technology writer for SecurityProNews and WebProNews.
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