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September 5, 2008 11:51:59 PM CDT

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Malware Threats Skyrocketed in 2007

Posted Apr 8, 08 2:51 PM CDT in Technology 

(Newser) – Last year saw an explosion in malware threats that has Symantec considering a new approach to Internet security—“whitelisting” legitimate computer code rather than blacklisting known threats. Of 1.1 million threats the company has discovered in over 25 years, it uncovered almost two-thirds of them in 2007, Computerworld reports. Symantec blames the escalation on the emergence of efficient malware-creating organizations.

The company says these organizations hire programmers to create lucrative phishing schemes, developing a sophisticated industry complete with specialization and outsourcing. "A group of specialized programmers can create a larger number of new threats than can a single malicious code author, bringing about economies of scale and therefore an increased return on investment," declares the Symantec report.

Source ComputerWorld

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SonicWALL statistics show ongoing growth in the volume of spam, virus and phishing attacks, increased use of PDF spam and continual evolution of new ways to circumvent anti-spam solutions.   (AP Photo)
Google malware warning.   ((c) Lachlan Hardy)
MySpace phishing alert.   ((c) joelogon)
The latest is a new bill in the   ((c) jessportnutrition)
Phishing email   ((c) Wesley Fryer)
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Internet security  • cybercrime  • phishing  • malware  • Symantec


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