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Cyber Criminals Look For New Ways To Spread Malware
Mike Sachoff
Staff Writer
2009-12-28
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Malware writers have kept their focus on web-based attacks while actively looking for new ways to spread their products, according to a new report from BitDefender.
 | | Cyber Criminals Look For New Ways To Spread Malware |  |
Over the last six months, malware writers have continued their efforts to infect computer users in order to receive direct financial gain and to take control over their machines.
"In the second half of 2009, we saw international events such as the advent of the H1N1 Swine Flu exploited to their full extent by malware authors in order to launch new infections," said Vlad Vlceanu, Head of BitDefender Antispam Research Lab.
"As cybercriminals continue to look for ways to enhance their e-threats, now more than ever, it's essential for computer users to make sure they have a security solution in place that can provide them with advanced, proactive protection."
During the last six months the most active countries in terms of spreading malware were China, France and the United States, followed by Australia, Romania and Spain.
Spam messages accounted for 88.9 percent of the total amount of electronic messages sent globally. Text-based messages are the most frequent forma of spam, while image based spam accounts for 2.3-2.5 percent.
Compared to the first half of 2009, the amount of phishing messages has remained relatively unchanged, although phishers have switched their focus to institutions that could bring them the most profit in the shortest amount of time.
Primary targets are PayPal, Visa and eBay, followed by HSBC, American Express and Abbey Bank. Ally Bank and Bank of America rank last with a little over one percent of the total amount of phishing messages. These messages mostly target English-speaking computer users who are using the services of at least one of the institutions previously mentioned.
"2009 witnessed a wide range of security threats aiming at both end-users and at corporate networks," said Vlceanu. "Extra caution and a highly-rated antimalware solution with antispam, antiphishing and antimalware modules are a must-have for anyone surfing the web in 2010."
About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.
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