2 January 2003
Top ten viruses and hoaxes reported to Sophos in December 2002
This is the latest in a series of monthly charts counting down the ten most frequently occurring viruses and hoaxes as compiled by Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection.
For December 2002, the virus chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
"Two worms account for over a quarter of all support queries we receive at Sophos. Klez, the biggest virus of 2002, and Bugbear continue to cause users problems even though protection against them is simple," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant, Sophos Anti-Virus. "It's important that all users ensure they keep their anti-virus software up-to-date and practise safe computing."
Also causing problems for users in December was the Tubmo Trojan horse which makes changes to web browsers by redirecting them to specific websites and portals.
Sophos detected 636 new viruses, worms and Trojan horses in December, the total number it now protects against is 79,017.
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during December 2002 are as follows:
"The JDBGMR hoax has been at the top of the myth list for eight months and shows no signs of subsiding," continued Cluley. "The seasonal Elf Bowling hoax about a joke program which shows Santa Claus playing ten pin bowling with elves made a reappearance after a full year away."
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.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security
solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
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