Malware levels stay flat

[nsane.forums]

Number of new threats in 2009 steady says Kaspersky

A new report from security firm Kaspersky Lab suggests that there has been little growth in the number of new malware samples.

The company reported that over 2009, roughly 15 million new malware samples were found, a rate of around 30,000 new threats each day. That rate, said the company, was "virtually the same" as the 2008 level.

While the growth of new threats levelled off, the company said that the malware which did emerge was becoming more sophisticated and widespread.

The company noted that over the year nine different pieces of malware were able to infect more than one million systems, while sophisticated programs such polymorphic worms were becoming more common.

Additionally, the company reported that web-based fraud schemes, such as fake anti-virus software, boomed over 2009 and netted some $150 million in profits.

This year, much of the focus is expected to shift from PC-based malware to attacks on web services and new devices.

Kaspersky pointed to an increase in attacks targeting Facebook and Twitter over the year and predicted that the trend will continue in 2010. The company suggested that web services such as Google Wave could be popular targets this year, as well peer-to-peer services and mobile handsets.

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