Explore the latest news and trends  

Sign up for our weekly security newsletter


Be the first to receive important updates on security





Send

Egypt Positioned No.1 for Computer Viruses within EMEA

In its annual ISTR (Internet Security Threat Report) Vol. XIV, Symantec Corp. reveals that there is a continuous and fast rise in malicious activities worldwide, while Egypt is increasingly becoming vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Comparing the recent ISTR with that of the April 2008 issue, it is evident that Egypt's ranking among the global countries in terms of malicious attacks has climbed to the 26th position in 2009 from 34th in 2008. Moreover, Egypt has earned the highest rank in terms of most virus infections in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region.

Security analysts state that Egypt's high rate of virus activity is attributed to its large number of people using the Internet who, however, have a very low level of security awareness.

Johnny Karam, Regional Director of Symantec, has said that the reason why this measurement is prominent in Egypt is because many Egyptians continue to use cyber cafes or other computers that are publicly accessed to go online, as reported by AMEInfo on July 23, 2009.

Karam further says that public PCs that numerous people use for a range of reasons have immense chances of getting exposed to cyber assaults. He added that this trend suggested a rise in Egyptians vulnerability to malware attacks like from PC worms.

Outstandingly, PC viruses were responsible for 20% of the 50 most prevalent malicious programs within the EMEA region in 2008, up from 17% during 2007, and just a little above the 19% world rate.

Moreover, the 2009 ISTR observes that Saudi Arabia remains at No.1 position for the 2nd consecutive year within the Middle East for cyber attacks. A majority of countries there is ranked lower in global terms compared to the 2008 situation, except for Qatar which climbed to the 69th position in 2009 from the 78th in 2008.

For the number of phishing and spam attacks, the report states that UAE is the top nation within the Middle East while Qatar and Saudi Arabia follow it closely. Meanwhile, six countries among the top ten that launched maximum web-based attacks during 2008 belonged to the EMEA, pushing 45% of the global aggregate.

Related article: Egypt Witnessing Massive Spam Decline Following Internet Blockage

ยป SPAMfighter News - 8/8/2009

3 simple steps to update drivers on your Windows PCSlow PC? Optimize your Slow PC with SLOW-PCfighter!Email Cluttered with Spam? Free Spam Filter!

Dear Reader

We are happy to see you are reading our IT Security News.

We do believe, that the foundation for a good work environment starts with fast, secure and high performing computers. If you agree, then you should take a look at our Business Solutions to Spam Filter & Antivirus for even the latest version of Exchange Servers - your colleagues will appreciate it!

Go back to previous page
Next