Viruses/Worms News

MAAWG outlines best practices for malware removal

Monday, August 3, 2009

A group of web security vendors and ISPs called the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) has issued a paper aimed at helping the global ISP industry work more closely with consumers to recognize and remove malware infections on end-users' PCs.

The paper details strategies used by some of the largest ISPs worldwide to help smaller network operators work with their users to detect and remove malware.

Malware running on users' computers without their knowledge, also called bots, are responsible for generating up to 90 percent of spam and can be used for identity theft or launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

"Bots are a global affliction and these best practices are an important step in educating the industry on the appropriate processes to help protect consumers," said MAAWG Chairman Michael O'Reirdan.

The report recommends that ISPs scan users' PCs remotely and notify customers of detected malware through email, phone calls and other means. In-browser messages would be among the most effective methods to alert customers, but also can be technically challenging to implement, MAAWG said.

A MAAWG survey released last month found that about one in six web users has attempted to purchase products advertised via spam, while only 20 percent of PC users believe they will ever be infected by malware.