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McAfee: Malware Grew to 1.2 Million in H1 2009

Security researchers at McAfee claimed that in the initial six months of the current year (2009), they noted almost 1.2 Million fresh malware samples on the Internet. The figure amounted to nearly 6,000 new malware samples every day.

McAfee security researchers further said - in 2008, malware levels increased threefold. The firm logged only 400,000 malware pieces in the first six months of 2008, whereas this figure had stood at less than 300,000 malware in 2007.

In a blog posting, Dave Marcus, Director of Research and Communication, McAfee Avert Labs, said - the rise in malware is an outcome of rising illegal activities in the cyber world over the past few years, as per the news by PCAUTHORITY on July 23, 2009.

Marcus adds that there are several reasons for rise in the number of malware, but it is largely because of criminal intervention. Marcus has also said that code and tools are readily accessible and it will surely not change in future.

The enormous rise in malware for past few years has also compelled security companies to re-evaluate their techniques of managing the latest cyber threats.

In order to deal with the vast flow of malicious threats, several vendors have abandoned to use daily signature updates instead they are giving emphasis on web-based networks that enable firms to report the latest threats and give precautionary measures to users.

The firm also reveals that attackers hide malware in a website only to control the systems of visitors. After this is fruitfully attained, the capacity to exploit both the infected systems and its ill fated owner is almost unbounded.

Basically, any web-based attack has three major parts- the set-up, the hit and the aftermath. McAfee advised the users to be aware and updated to ensure a secure computing.

In a similar news, another security company 'MessageLabs' claims that the amount of malware attacked websites has grown at an astonishing pace. MessageLabs Intelligence says that it predicts web users worldwide make 100 Million visits to harmful URLs every month and therefore it is a real security epidemic.

Related article: McAfee Alerts Windows about Accessibility Hole in Vista

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