Highest ever spam records, the proliferation of rogue security software, and the surge of bot networks were just some of the top Internet security trends of 2009, according to security company Symantec.
While spam is not a new security trend, 2009 saw record spam volumes, making up 95% of all e-mail at the end of May. Furthermore, says Symantec, 2% of spam e-mails had attached malware, representing a nine-fold increase in the number of spam messages containing malware.
Symantec found a rise in ready-made malware in 2009, noting it had become easier than ever to create. This was largely due to the availability of toolkits, such as Zeus, that enable even novice hackers to create malware and botnets, explains the company.
Attacks against both social networking sites and their users became standard practice for cyber criminals last year, notes Symantec. Botnet designers expanded their forte by using social networking sites as communication channels, rooting botnets as the foundation of cyber crime for 2009, it adds.
From 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, Symantec received reports of 43 million rogue security software installation attempts, marking it as one of the top security threats for the year. The company has identified 250 distinct misleading applications that pretend to be legitimate security software, but instead infect the computer with the very malware it is intended to protect it from.
Lastly, 2009's news events, more than ever, were used to leverage cyber crime, notes the company. The death of Michael Jackson and Patrick Swayze, the H1N1 flu, and the crash of Air France flight 447 were just some of the events used to lure unsuspecting Internet users into downloading malware, buying products, and falling for scams, states Symantec.
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