U.S. and China Top Malware Charts
Security firm Sophos has released an eye-popping report on the nature of Internet threats over the past twelve months, putting the U.S. and China at the top of the list of offender nations.
According to the firm’s Security Threat Report 2007, the U.S. and China hosted more than 60 percent of all the world’s malware-infested Web sites. Russia, the Netherlands, and the Ukraine took the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.
But that’s not all. When it comes to spam relays, the U.S. again took the top spot, with 22 percent of all spam sent from U.S. computers. China followed at nearly 16 percent, with South Korea, France, and Spain rounding out the top five.
Sophos also noted that Web-based malware is growing while virus attacks sent through e-mail are declining. Every day the firm discovers 5,000 new Web sites hosting malicious code, and believes that hackers will continue to shift their focus to the Web as the best and most efficient vector to deliver threats in 2007.
Home Sweet Home
According to Ronald O’Brien, senior security analyst for Sophos, the U.S. is a prime source of malware and spam because we’re becoming a digital culture.
“There is something to be said about the infrastructure that exists in the U.S.,” he said, “and the fact that Internet access is as pervasive as it is.” The more networks and servers a nation has, the greater its chance of digital thuggery.
Of course, the U.S. is also teeming with well-intentioned users who bank, download music, stream movies, meet friends, and even run their meetings online, which in turn gives hackers a wide and deep pool in which to dive.
“There’s just a very rich database which criminals can then mine, looking for specific information,” said O’Brien. He also noted an aftermarket for stolen data, where ID thieves filch…
