2 April 2007
Old-timers top malware chart but web-based threats pose greater problems
Sophos announces top ten threats and hoaxes reported in March 2007
Sophos, a world leader in IT security and control, has revealed the most prevalent malware threats and email hoaxes causing problems for computer users around the world during March 2007.
The figures, compiled by Sophos's global network of monitoring stations, show that the Netsky family has had the biggest impact on computer users this month, accounting for almost a third of all malware seen during March.
Netsky's return to the top comes despite protection against this family of worms having been available for more than three years. Interestingly, just 0.18 percent or one in 555 emails was infected in March, yet Sophos detected 8,835 new threats, bringing the total protected against to 231,548. These numbers indicate that while malware spreading via email is still causing trouble, the vectors used to distribute threats are changing: hackers are continuing their move away from mass-mailing worms in favour of using spam messages with links pointing to infected webpages.
The top ten list of malware threats in March 2007 reads as follows:
"Unwanted emails hiding copies of Netsky are still spreading like weeds in an untended garden, showing how well seeded these mass-mailing threats are," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos. "It's frustrating to think that there are a bunch of new threats out there that are much more targeted and devious in their approach, yet how can we expect the average computer user to protect against them when the Netskys and Mytobs remain so rooted? Users need to roll up their sleeves and commit to keeping their PCs secure both for their sake and the sake of everyone else connected to the web."
Sophos's global network of monitoring stations has also revealed that the UK has jumped into the top five countries hosting malware-infected webpages.
The top ten list of countries hosting malware-infected websites in
March 2007, reads as follows:
| Position |
Countries |
Percentage of reports |
| 1 | China (incl Hong Kong) |
|
| 2 | United States |
|
| 3 | Germany |
|
| 4 | United Kingdom |
|
| 5 | Russia |
|
| 6 | France |
|
| 7 | Netherlands |
|
| 8 | South Korea |
|
| 9= | Ukraine |
|
| 9= | Canada |
|
| Others | 6.4% |
"Since December 2006, we have seen some remarkable changes in the countries hosting the most malware," continued Theriault. "China has taken the lead from the United States, but more dramatically, the United Kingdom, which hosted less than 1 percent in December is now responsible for more than 5 percent. This significant increase should be a warning to those hosting websites in the UK to ensure that they have patched against vulnerabilities that might be lurking on their site."
The top ten hoaxes and chain letters in March were as follows:
Graphics of the above top ten malware chart are available.
The Sophos Security Threat Report 2007, which discusses 2006's most prevalent
families of malware and malware hosting countries in more detail, can be
downloaded from the Sophos website:
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About Sophos
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.
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