Viruses/Worms News

Worldwide malware infections up 15 percent in September

Thursday, October 1, 2009

A clear majority of computers on the internet are infected with some type of malware, according to data released by anti-virus maker Panda Security earlier this week. Fifty-nine percent of computers around the world suffer from at least one kind of malicious software.

Taiwan's computers were the most likely to be infected, at a rate of 69 percent, and the Russian Federation was close behind at 68 percent. The U.S. was ninth on Panda's list, with a malware infection rate of just over 58 percent, while the least infected country studied was Norway, at slightly less than 40 percent.

Trojans, adware, and computer worms were the three most common types of malware found in U.S. computers. Trojans were by far the most common, accounting for just over half of all American infections. Experts say that recent outbreaks of Clampi and Zeus may account for the proliferation of Trojans.

Cyber criminals have become more sophisticated in recent months, finding new weak points through which to distribute web-based malware, and tweaking existing malicious software to evade detection.