Malware Threats Surged in H1 2009

In the first half of 2009 (H1), Trend Micro World Virus Tracking Center (WTC) said that 253.4 Million systems had been infected by malware. The comparable volume for 2009 is expected to be nearly twice at 491.2 Million.

As per TrendLabs, it has witnessed unrelenting growth in malware. Malware threats have seen several phases of development over the past few years. First of all, DOS viruses were detected and then macro viruses, mass-mailers, botnets, and lastly Web threats. The only noticeable aspect is that these have been rising both in quantity and danger.

Although it is not a cheerful thing, this has already been predicted by experts. The official 2009 Trend Micro report shows that malware attacks have been rising for last some years and 2009 is expected to see more of these kinds of attacks.

The security firm further says that the number and kind of latest malware agents have increased significantly. Roughly 700,000 new malware are recognized every month, posing a tough challenge for security vendors. With rise in malware attacks, a striking increase has been seen in web crime.

Spyware and trojans are the major kinds of data stealing malware observed by TrendLabs in every region, including Australia, Asia, Africa, South America, North America and Europe.

It is not restricted to Trend Micro only. AV-Test.org has also released its findings for H1 2009 lately, and the statistics present an upsetting picture. As over one million new variants of malware are seen every month, it is likely that total number of exclusive samples will cross 30 Million mark. This predication is a demonstration of threat posed by upsurge in malware attacks.

In the past, cyber criminals laid a great emphasis on advancement of their malware creation skills, and the security industry has replied with latest technologies to combat threats.

The company has suggested users to update antivirus for the protection against malware attacks. It further said all devices linked to the web are secured. Apart from this, the security company said that users should be careful while clicking on links and file attachments.

Related article: Malware Authors Turn More Insidious

» SPAMfighter News - 9/3/2009