Zafi-B retains top slot for fourth consecutive month
Lynnfield, MA - Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses
against spam and viruses, has published a report revealing the top
ten viruses and hoaxes causing problems for businesses around the
world.
The report, compiled from Sophos's global network of monitoring
stations, shows that Zafi-B and Netsky-P are number one and two in
the chart for the third consecutive month.
Sophos analyzed and protected against 1,150 new viruses in
September. The total number of viruses Sophos now protects against
is 95,025. Sophos figures show that over 6.6%, or one in 15 emails,
circulating during the month of September were viral.
The top ten viruses in September 2004, and the month they were
first seen, were as follows:
"Zafi-B continues to maintain the top position on the chart and has
since June", said Gregg Mastoras, senior security analyst at
Sophos, Inc. "While reports of Zafi-B have declined over the last
three months, it continues to plague computer users. Interestingly,
reports of Netsky-P, the second most frequently seen virus of the
month, are growing. IT professionals need to update their
anti-virus protection and educate end users on the risks of virus
infection."
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during September are as
follows:
"This month introduces the 'lottery winner', a new hoax to the
chart", continued Mastoras. "The email hoax claims that the
recipient has won a significant monetary prize. Unfortunately, when
users attempt to claim the prize, it turns out to be a scam. End
users must be cautious of any and all emails claiming a monetary
prize and act judiciously in providing sensitive financial
information."
Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and
websites which means users can always find out about the latest
viruses and hoaxes.
Graphics of the virus Top Ten chart are available here.
More information about safe
computing, including anti-hoax policies.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.