Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against spam and viruses, has revealed the top ten viruses and hoaxes causing problems for businesses around the world
“Sasser was the major pain in the neck this month, affecting far more users than even the prevalent Netsky worms. Requiring no user intervention and taking advantage of a relatively new Microsoft hole, it sneaked onto unprotected PCs, swamping internet connections,” said Carole Theriault, security consultant, Sophos. “The best way to block such stealth worms is to deploy a consolidated defense, including multi-level anti-virus protection, firewalls and policies to update operating systems and educate staff.”
Sophos analyzed and protected against 959 new viruses in May, this is the highest number of new viruses discovered in a single month since December 2001. The total number of viruses Sophos now protects against is 90,811.
“The Sasser and Netsky worms may have captured the headlines, but many more viruses have been written this month – 959 in total,” continued Theriault.
“Indeed, May has seen a noticeable spike in cyber criminal activity, suggesting that even the arrest of Sven Jaschan, the German teenager who has owned up to writing Sasser and Netsky has done nothing to curb the problem.
“A new entry to the hoax chart in May is the ‘Spunkball’ chain letter,” continued Theriault. “This message claims to warn of teenagers targeting stationary cars with fire bombs. As ever, the best advice for computer users receiving this sort of hoax email is to simply press delete. Deploying an effective anti-spam defense can also reduce the impact of hoaxes and chain letters.”
Sophos is a world leading computer security specialist, developing anti-virus and anti-spam software. Headquartered in the UK, the company produces solutions tailored for businesses of all sizes – from small enterprises to global corporations. Sophos is acclaimed for delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction and protection in the industry. The company’s products are sold and supported in more than 150 countries and protect more than 25 million users