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 Infection attempts on
the rise
By Theo Boshoff
Security is a big thing these days and should not only be a priority for businesses and large corporate organisations. Consumers should also take note, as attempts to infect computers have increased by over 25%, according to Kaspersky Labs.
The security solutions company is saying that over 327 million attempts were made to infect computers globally during the first three months of 2010, resulting in a 26.8% rise compared to the previous quarter.
Kaspersky believes that this is as a result of ineffective legislation and growing unemployment rates.
The two main channels by which these threats spread, says the company, remain the internet and drive-by downloads - where the user is unaware of the download of spyware, viruses and malware.
The company warns that consumers should be aware that today’s internet is awash with malware strains composed of HTML code or scripts that are then placed on legitimate websites to fool users or direct them to malicious websites that contain exploits. And cybercriminals are smart, luring consumers by offering information, goods or services they know consumers will be interested in.
 Kaspersky further notes that with stricter laws and an increased focus on cybercrime, cybercriminals are now forced on concealing their activities, which has led to a rise in the number of harmful malware and viruses disguised as genuine applications.
A current trend, says the company, is the development made in fake antivirus programs available over the internet sporting interfaces that look similar to popular security solutions, including Kaspersky’s products. These offer no protection and, in fact, contain the spyware, viruses and malware the real security software guards against.
As such, Kaspersky is warning consumers to be vigilant in making sure that their PCs are protected with genuine software solutions from trusted vendors.
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