Two companies specializing in computer security, Kaspersky and Symantec, published the results of studies on the most frequent threats in the world online.
The first company announced in a January report that mobile device vulnerabilities and Web 2.0 are a target for malware, although in the month in question the attacks focused on file sharing applications – P2P networks and downloads multimedia.
According to Kaspersky, the spread of Trojan horses that unload an executable disguised as codecs while playing a multimedia file it was one of the most observed trends in January.
In the same month, the proliferation of the family of worms Kido was the one that stood out the most.
Regarding the total number of malicious codes in circulation in January – 46,014 threats -, the company explains that the Trojans lost 10 percent of their participation, to the benefit of viruses, which make up 50 percent of the total of detected threats.
The badware increased slightly, from 10 to 15 percent.
In turn, Symantec, in the Spam Report published in February but referring to the previous month, explains that the United States continues to be the country that most disseminates electronic waste (23 percent), followed by Brazil (10 percent).
The inauguration of Barack Obama was one of the most used points in January for the diffusion of spam.
Messages whose subjects prompted visits to websites to visualize the new president’s rise to power made a difference throughout the month.
In the same study, the company explains that the main trends for this month point to the use of Valentine’s Day for the sending malicious messages.
Electronic mail with dangerous attachments is a frequent reality every year and in 2009 there will be no exceptions.
In practice, special attention should be paid to the titles and senders of the supposedly «romantic» messages.
Symantec also warns of the proliferation of messages from Russia, through which various services are offered, emails referring to gambling in China and business proposals from Nigeria.
These three «novelties» are increasingly highlighted in the list of spam company and have been attracting users from all over the world.
