Record number of new viruses detected and protected against by
Sophos in the last six months
Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection, has
announced that it has detected and protected against 6,127 new
viruses in the first six months of 2001. In the same period, calls
to Sophos's customer helpdesk suggested that those viruses which
demanded the most media attention were not necessarily those
causing the biggest problem.
Sophos's research highlights the importance of safe computing
practices and the need to keep anti-virus software up to date.
For the first six months of 2001, the top ten viruses (as
recorded by Sophos's helpdesk) are as follows, with the most
frequently occurring virus at number one:
"The highly destructive Magistr worm accounted for
more reports to our support desk than higher profile viruses such
as Homepage and
Anna Kournikova,"
said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos
Anti-Virus. "Magistr sends itself using emails with randomly
generated subject lines and text, making it difficult for some
people to spot - its dominance underlies the fact that users are
persisting in opening unsolicited attachments. However, if you are
using up-to-date anti-virus software you should have no problems
with this virus."
In runner-up position the Homepage worm spread rapidly around
the world in May 2001, redirecting infected users to pornographic
websites.
At number three in the chart, the Apology worm is particularly
devious since it prevents access to websites containing anti-virus
information and blocks emails to anti-virus companies, another
reminder that users should regularly update their AV software.
Despite the media frenzy surrounding its arrival, the Anna
Kournikova worm came only fifth in the top ten, accounting for 7%
of all calls. The Kournikova worm proved to be something of a
"shooting star", infecting millions of people over a few days, but
rapidly dying away.
Other developments in the first six months of 2001 included:
- The detection of the first viruses (FunnyFile and Choke) to attack instant
messaging services highlighted the need for increased user
vigilance and for businesses to remember the importance of desktop
anti-virus software.
- Virus hoaxes continued to cause panic with threats of the
SULFNBK 'virus'
striking on 1st June 2001. Sophos urges computer users to
double-check whether an virus warning is genuine or not by visiting
a recognised anti-virus website for confirmation.
- The news in June that the suspected author of the Kournikova
worm is to face
prosecution in the Netherlands represents a positive indication
that the authorities are prepared to take action against those
responsible for virus distribution.
- The emergence of the Ramen worm in the wild
during January reminded Linux users that they are not immune to
virus attack.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.