Malware threats continue to rise in 2006

02-02-2006

by Charlie Taylor

More than 2,300 new viruses, worms and Trojans were discovered in January, according to new figures released by the antivirus firm Sophos.

The company's latest research reveals that its monitoring systems recorded an additional 2,312 examples of malware last month. This is an increase of more than a third when compared to December 2005.

The Sober-Z worm continued to haunt PC users around the world in early January and topped Sophos' top ten viruses chart for the month. The worm, which sends itself as an e-mail attachment and attempts to turn off security software on the user's computer, accounted for almost 45 percent of malware reported in January. However, the antivirus firm said that the worm stopped spreading after the first week of the New Year, signalling the end of its monopoly.

Nyxem-D, the Kama Sutra worm, which was first seen on 18 January, propelled itself into the charts last month at number four. The e-mail worm, which uses a variety of pornographic disguises in an attempt to spread and disable security software, also carries a deadly payload, It is programmed to wipe data on infected computers on the third day of every month creating panic among PC users as the 3 February deadline approaches.

"In many ways the Kama Sutra worm is a throwback to the days when sexy subject lines and attachment names were often used to tempt users to open the infected file," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant at Sophos.

"The bad news for those who have been infected by the worm is that they run the risk of having their data wiped by its destructive payload on 3 February. This obvious sign of infection is a far cry from the stealth tactics employed by modern cyber criminals, bent on financial gain."

Elsewhere on Sophos' monthly malware chart, Netsky-P crept back up to number two in January. The worm which was written by convicted German teenager Sven Jaschan, previously held the number five spot in December.

The Mytob 'dynasty' of worms, which wrecked havoc late last year, accounted for five of the top ten pieces of malware last month while Zafi-B continues to be virulent and remains in the top three.

"Some of these worms have been around for years, and should act as a wake up call for businesses and users who don't have adequate protection -- these worms are simple to control as long as a consolidated solution is in place, and their spread would have been halted if antivirus updates were applied," continued Theriault.

Sophos's research shows that 1.4 percent or one in 70 e-mails is viral. According to the firm, a hefty proportion of the new malware written at the moment are Trojan horses, which are ideal for financially motivated virus writers who want to target specific victims, whilst keeping their code firmly beneath the radar.