This is the latest in a series of monthly charts counting down
the ten most frequently occurring viruses as compiled by Sophos, a
world leader in corporate anti-virus protection.
For March 2001, the chart is as follows, with the most
frequently occurring virus at number one:
"Despite some new viruses receiving a high profile in the media
this month the top of the chart is dominated by some familiar
faces," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos
Anti-Virus. "It is astonishing that viruses that have been around
for months - or even years in the case of Kakworm - are still
costing companies money. The message is simple - keep your
anti-virus software up-to-date and ensure you have installed the
latest security patches."
Notable new viruses in March included Magistr, Naked Wife and two new
Linux viruses - Lion and Lindose (aka the Winux
virus). March also saw the second anniversary of the Melissa virus which was
written and released by David L. Smith. Following high profile
virus attacks at the start of the year Sophos published new
versions of its safe
computing guidelines, one aimed at network administrators and
one with simple steps the everyday user can take.
867 new viruses were discovered and protected against by Sophos
during March 2001.
The total number of viruses Sophos detects and protects against
is 61,893.
Compiled by Sophos's technical support team, the top ten chart
is collated from calls to Sophos's 24 hour, 365 days a year
technical support line.
Graphics of the above Top Ten chart are available here.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.