IT News & Technology update

450 Million Windows Computers Under Attack

Written by IT News on 10:35 AM

By: Marius Oiaga, Technology News Editor

Windows, without a doubt, the most attacked platform in the world, is an integral detail related to its ubiquity. Because it is able to centralize data from such a large number of end users, Microsoft is able compiled perhaps the most comprehensive perspective on the threats to the environment associated with all software vulnerabilities, exploits on, malicious code and potentially unwanted software. Infosecurity Europe 2008 was the stage when the Redmond company's four volumes of the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, using data collected by the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool from more than 450 million Windows computers worldwide.

"In SIR gives us the opportunity to share with our customers and partners in the industry that we are witnessing in the threat landscape, so that we can all help to ensure users are better protected, and to work towards a more trusting Internet," explained Vinny Gullotto, general manager of Microsoft Malicious Protection Center programs. "This latest volume supports our position that the current threat is still motivated by monetary gain, and it also gives us a firm view of the vulnerability and use trends."

Microsoft found that in the second half of last year, the level of vulnerability disclosure declined by about 5%. However, despite this aspect, the company found that 32.2% of public security vulnerabilities were sent to the wild using publicly available code to use.

"Those trends observed during the second half of 2007, in accordance with the observed shift of malware phenomenon in the amateur tool used in professional criminals and criminal organizations that generate revenue," Microsoft stated in the report.

In Redmond company added that the same trend that affects the development of malicious code, and the impact of spam. With more than 90% of all mail sent in the period from July to December 2007 in Spam, there is more emphasis on the spread of malicious software and phishing attempts.

"These figures also show a 300 percent increase in the number of files and Trojan droppers - malicious code used for the installation of files on users' systems - illustrating that the category of malicious software continues to grow in popularity among the attackers. The report also shows 66.7 percent growth in the number of potentially detect unwanted software - programs that may impact users' privacy or security steps people may not want to - the period between 1 July and 31 December, a total of 129.5 million units of potentially unwanted software found on the system's users, "Microsoft said .