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Instant Message Attacks Up 826%
John Stith
Staff Writer
2006-01-19
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Instant messaging (IM) is becoming a method of choice for communication for many people and cyber attacks through IM are becoming a force to be reckoned with. New information shows attacks are up 826% and don't show signs of slowing down.
According to the latest reports from IMLogic, the IM security threats increased the 826% in December 2005 compared to the previous December. They contend the growing number of threats increases the mutation rate and these risks pose major threats and are more and more linked to significant financial damage.
They mentioned specifically the "talking worm" and the Santa worm and the fact these worms ended a particularly vicious year in IM threats with a more sophisticated approach from the cyber criminal involved.
Threat Analysis :
IM threats in December 2005 increased 826 percent over December 2004;
IM threats in December 2005 grew by an additional 241 threats; adding to more than 300 for November 2005 and 292 in October 2005;
In December 2005, 41 percent of new threats targeted AOL Instant Messenger, with 48 percent targeting MSN and 11 percent targeting Yahoo!;
Worms made up 87 percent of new threats with viruses at 12 percent and phishing attacks over IM at one percent;
First talking "intelligent" worm identified
The latest release of threat data reinforces the fact that traditional anti-virus software is not sufficient to protect against the rapid mutation and spread of the latest IM security threats. Traditional anti-virus products rely on known threat signatures to protect organizations, often racing to release a signature after an outbreak has already been identified. The rapid proliferation of IM threats makes them increasingly more difficult for traditional reactive security approaches to keep pace. The inherent real-time nature of IM combined with the latest trend of increasingly destructive IM threats highlights the urgency for which specialized, proactive IM threat protections are needed.
"The growth in the level of sophistication and the advanced nature of the malware payloads such as root kits and information gathering agents sends a signal to IM users that IM security is no longer a 'nice to have' technology," said IMlogic Chief Technology Officer Jon Sakoda.
"This rise in complexity and destructive nature of the threats requires organizations and individuals to put in place more adequate protections."
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About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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