Consumers and businesses spent a combined $7.4 billion on anti-virus software in 2012, according to Gartner. This figure represents nearly half the $17.7 billion spent on security software in 2011.
With more than 24 million new strains of malware, PandaLabs has published a Virus Yearbook for 2012, detailing the viruses that stood out from the rest. The malware list includes spyware Flame, the Police virus and worm Kuluoz.
The Police virus displays a message from the "police" telling users that their computer has been blocked because they have downloaded illegal material. The message instructs users to pay a fine to recover their systems. More recent versions of the malware display recent images taken with the user's Webcam, adding credibility to the scam.
A close relative of Stuxnet, cyber espionage tool Flame was discovered by Kaspersky Lab researchers in May. In the Yearbook, PandaLabs describes Flame as "one of the most powerful cyber war tools created so far".
Also making the list is online banking malware, Zeus. In 2012, new variants of Zeus were detected, which target banks that send information via cellphone to customers by compromising security on smartphones. Similarly, Ainslot.L acts as a banker Trojan by stealing log-in information related to banks. The malware also scans the computer looking for and removing other bots so that it becomes the only bot on the system.
Among the class of 2012, PandaLabs gave an honorary mention to the Flashback bot, a virus that targets Apple systems. This malware is spread via a Java applet that is a fake update for the Adobe Flash Player. In April 2012, it was reported that one in 15 households in North America with Macs were infected with Flashback.
Nowhere to hide
And social networks are not safe either, says PandaLabs. Koobface spreads lies on social networks in order to infect users. One attack by the virus involved a story about US president, Barack Obama, punching someone following a racial insult.
One of the most popular kits for creating malware in 2012 was the BlackHole Exploit kit, according to PandaLabs. The kit targets security holes via all types of exploits, particularly Java and Adobe.
The Kuluoz e-mail scam was perfectly timed to coincide with the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. According to Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, criminals are aware that customers search for gifts online over the festive season, and they use this knowledge to spread malicious e-mails aimed at stealing money. The worm arrives in an e-mail that looks like it has been sent from FedEx, telling users they have a parcel to collect.
PandaLabs describes its final perpetrator for 2012 as a "copycat". The DarkAngle Trojan tries to pass itself off as Panda's own Cloud Antivirus. DarkAngle's creators use the software's popularity to spread their creation by tricking users into thinking they are actually installing legitimate anti-virus software.
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