In the first three months of 2010 there were over 327 million attempts to infect users' computers in different countries, showing a 26.8% rise on the previous quarter.
So says Kaspersky Lab in its report on security threats in the first quarter of 2010, using information compiled from the company's security network. The network is an initiative that detects malware in real-time, in a signature and heuristic detection-free environment.
In terms of geographical location, the report said China (31.07%), Russia (9.82%), and India (6.19%) remain the top three targets, although attacks against the Chinese dropped significantly to 18.05%, while Russian attacks grew to 13.18%.
The Internet and drive-by downloads are still the main channels through which threats flourish. The report says the Web is full of malicious code made up of HTML code or scripts that are hidden on legitimate Web sites. “The primary objective of these programs is to covertly redirect users to a malicious Web site that contains exploits.”
Central to these sorts of attacks are vulnerabilities in PDF viewers, browsers and plug-ins, and the report said exploits of this nature grew by 21.3%. Kaspersky says almost half of them targeted vulnerabilities in Adobe software due to its prevalence and multi-platform capabilities.
The report adds that cyber criminals are being forced to hide their activities, as laws are becoming stricter, and cyber crime is moving into the spotlight. This has resulted in the number of Trojans rising, as this sort of malware can easily be concealed as a genuine application and remain hidden.
Another trend, says the report, is the continued development of fake anti-virus programs. These are currently flooding the Internet, and their authors use a number of techniques to trap users, including imitating the interfaces of genuine security products. Kaspersky added that fake anti-virus programs are increasingly offering 'technical support' services.
The report also highlighted that malware is being updated, and made more complex. “Established hacker groups are constantly working to perfect their creations and strive to make them more universal and suitable for attacks targeting both home and corporate users.”
Share