Malware on the rise: highest in 4 years

According to a new McAfee report, Malware attacks are at their highest in 4 years. Mobile devices feature high on the list.

McAfee, now owned by Intel issued their quarterly Threats Report and it points out that there is a 1.5 million increase in malware since Q1 this year, a disturbing trend. The company have 500 researchers who uncovered 100,000 malware samples every day.

Apple devices have been affected this year with high profile code such as the ‘Flashback Trojan' hitting the main news sites.

Vincent Weafer. senior vice president of McAfee Labs said “Attacks that we’ve traditionally seen PCs are now making their way to other devices.”

In fact the rising attacks on mobile devices is concerning. Android devices seem to be the primary target, it was targeted with spyware, SMS sending malware and mobile botnets. The general open nature of the platform means it is easier for rogue coders to get their malicious efforts into the wild.

McAfee also mention ‘Ransomware', a malware grouping which blocks access to a device, until a payment is made to the source.

Cyber hackers have also been using Twitter and other platforms as a means to control botnets, hiding their identity. The attackers can tweet commands to infected devices, starting a cascade of attacks on their target.

Kitguru says: Should we be concerned?

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