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Kaspersky reveals top 20 list

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 03 Apr 2009

Kaspersky Lab have put together its top twenty list of malicious programs, adware and potentially unwanted programs most frequently detected on users' computers.

Kaspersky says the network worm Net-Worm.Win32.Kido.ih, also known as Conficker and Downadup, topped the list. However, the security giant doesn't expect to see the latest version of this now infamous malicious program among the leaders in the following months.

It is now detected by Kaspersky Lab as Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Kido.a and unlike previous variants, this one is unable to spread independently across networks.

The highest new entry according to Kaspersky is Trojan-Dropper.Win32.Flystud.ko, as it came straight in at number nine and is a typical Trojan designed to stealthily install other Trojans.

It is written in the FlyStudio script language that, along with AutoIt, is one of the most popular languages among malware writers. Both FlyStudio and the programs written in it originate in China.

Kaspersky's March 2009 ranking sees the Autoit.ci Trojan joined by a similar program called Autoit.xp. At the lower end of the ranking there are two new entries which include Packed.Win32.Katusha.a and Trojan.Win32.Ramag.a.

The former detects a compression utility used to pack both certain modifications of the fraudware program FraudTool and the malware which downloads these modifications. The Ramag.a Trojan is a modified WinRAR archive which has no malicious payload apart from carrying other malware.

According to Kaspersky, there were fewer script downloader programs, only Trojan.JS.Agent.ty, with its traditional iframe, is present in the first top twenty.

In total, 45 857 unique malicious, advertising, and potentially unwanted programs were detected on users' computers in March. This figure is almost exactly the same as last month's, says Kaspersky.

Related stories:
Conficker not over yet
Smartphone malware takes off
Cyber crime soars
Hackers get smarter

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