Malware is getting scary.
According to McAfee, malware production reached a new high in the first half of 2010, cataloging ten million new pieces of malicious code--six million found in Q2 alone.
The security firm indicated that infected portable storage devices caused the most damage, followed by fake anti-virus software and social media specific malware. On a global level, AutoRun malware and password-stealing Trojans are McAfee's Top Two malware threats.
"Our latest threat report (pdf) depicts that malware has been on a steady incline in the first half of 2010," said Mike Gallagher, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Global Threat Intelligence for McAfee. "It's also obvious that cybercriminals are becoming more in tune with what the general public is passionate about from a technology perspective and using it to lure unsuspecting victims."
McAfee said that cybercriminals took advantage of the hype surrounding the FIFA World Cup in South America. They also used various methods to promote scams and search-engine "poisoning." Surprisingly, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico did not land on the firm's Top 20 toxic search terms.
In North America, delivery status notifications, or non-delivery receipt spam, were the most popular malicious methods. Schemes that direct users to infected "cloned" websites were more prominent in Russia, Vietnam and three other countries.
"Additionally, McAfee Labs saw a resurrection of two "dead" botnets. Storm Worm and Kraken, once considered to be among the biggest botnets on the planet, are again on the rise," the company said.
To read McAfee's full Q2 2010 Threats Report, take a look at the pdf file here.
Tom's Guide
I'm surprise that infected portable devices caused the most damage. I always expected spam, bad websites, and trojans from the internet to be the most popular. If Windows disable autorun or if more antivirus scan flash drives for CDs and external drives and CDs there might be fewer viruses and malware caused by MP3 players, flash drives, and external hard drives. But, it won't be as convenient in most cases, but a lot safer.
According to McAfee, malware production reached a new high in the first half of 2010, cataloging ten million new pieces of malicious code--six million found in Q2 alone.
The security firm indicated that infected portable storage devices caused the most damage, followed by fake anti-virus software and social media specific malware. On a global level, AutoRun malware and password-stealing Trojans are McAfee's Top Two malware threats.
"Our latest threat report (pdf) depicts that malware has been on a steady incline in the first half of 2010," said Mike Gallagher, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Global Threat Intelligence for McAfee. "It's also obvious that cybercriminals are becoming more in tune with what the general public is passionate about from a technology perspective and using it to lure unsuspecting victims."
McAfee said that cybercriminals took advantage of the hype surrounding the FIFA World Cup in South America. They also used various methods to promote scams and search-engine "poisoning." Surprisingly, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico did not land on the firm's Top 20 toxic search terms.
In North America, delivery status notifications, or non-delivery receipt spam, were the most popular malicious methods. Schemes that direct users to infected "cloned" websites were more prominent in Russia, Vietnam and three other countries.
"Additionally, McAfee Labs saw a resurrection of two "dead" botnets. Storm Worm and Kraken, once considered to be among the biggest botnets on the planet, are again on the rise," the company said.
To read McAfee's full Q2 2010 Threats Report, take a look at the pdf file here.
Tom's Guide
I'm surprise that infected portable devices caused the most damage. I always expected spam, bad websites, and trojans from the internet to be the most popular. If Windows disable autorun or if more antivirus scan flash drives for CDs and external drives and CDs there might be fewer viruses and malware caused by MP3 players, flash drives, and external hard drives. But, it won't be as convenient in most cases, but a lot safer.
