According to British cybersecurity firm Sophos, spyware is spreading rapidly within businesses this year, primarily driven by cybercriminals looking to generate financial gain through the distribution of this dangerous software.
Sophos reports that spyware accounts for up to 66.4% of all online threats detected in November. The overall growth rate of spyware has increased by 48% compared to last year.
“Spyware functions like a virus, capable of creating backdoors that allow hackers to gain remote access and establish a compromised network of computers. Increasingly, malicious code is surfacing on the Internet, but with a smaller distribution scale,” said Paul Ducklin, Technical Director at Sophos. “Virus authors and organized crime groups no longer desire another version of Blaster or Sasser, as these would backfire and undermine system management.”
According to Ducklin, Blaster and Sasser are not suitable for a lucrative attack because they spread too widely and become uncontrollable.
One of the significant threats in 2005 is targeted phishing aimed at achieving greater effectiveness. “Instead of sending out a million phishing emails, of which at least 900,000 recipients have no interest in online banking, why not program the emails to reach only those who use the service,” Ducklin stated.
The United States, South Korea, and China still account for over 50% of all global phishing incidents. Recent statistics from America Online indicate that one in four Americans has fallen victim to phishing attacks. AOL also asserts that 81% of computers in the U.S. do not have updated antivirus or spyware protection software installed.
