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Malware Threats Skyrocketed in 2007
Symantec mulling new security approach
By Laila Weir
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Posted Apr 8, 08 2:51 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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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.