31 July 2006
Top ten malware threats and hoaxes reported to Sophos in July 2006
Users urged not to fall into false sense of security as percentage of infected email plummets
Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses, spyware and spam, has revealed the most prevalent malware threats and hoaxes causing problems for computer users around the world during July 2006.
The information, compiled from Sophos's global network of monitoring stations, reveals that while the Netsky-P worm, first seen in March 2004, remains the most widespread piece of malware travelling via email, the actual proportion of infected email has dropped to a low of just one in 222 (0.45 percent). This compares to the first six months of 2006 when, on average, one in 91 emails (1.1 percent) carried malicious attachments.
Sophos identified 3,715 new threats in July, bringing the total of malware protected against to 184,007. The majority of the new threats (87 percent) were Trojan horses, while just 13 percent were worms or viruses.
The top ten list of malware in July 2006 reads as follows:
The dramatic reduction in viral email traffic indicates that malware authors are looking for other methods of infection. Hackers are turning away from mass-mailing viruses and worms in favour of more insidious Trojan horse targeted attacks aimed at smaller groups of users, spamming out links to malicious websites, and attempting to steal money and identities.
"At a glance, the drop in the proportion of virus infected email may be misread as a sign that email is now a safer medium, but computer users and businesses shouldn't be fooled," explained Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. "The reality is that the number of new threats is increasing by thousands each month. While there may be less viruses and worms in the actual email, hackers are spamming out messages that link to malicious websites where Trojan horses lie and wait for innocent victims. If businesses don't defend themselves they put their data, money and productivity levels at risk."
The top ten hoaxes and chain letters in July 2006 were as follows:
Graphics of the top ten virus chart are also available.
Sophos's research into malware in July 2006 backs up trends it published in a report released a month ago, examining cyber crime in the first six months of 2006:
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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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