Australia Ranks Sixth For Web-Based Attacks
A new report out shows that Internet malware attacks are on the increase, with Australia getting its fair share of unwanted attention
Symamtec’s latest Internet security report states that malicious code activity continued to grow at a record pace throughout 2008, primarily targeting confidential information of computer users, with Australia rating sixth on the list of web-based attacks in Asia-Pacific/Japan region.
The report noted that Web surfing remained the primary source of new infections in 2008, and that attackers are relying more and more on customised malicious code tool kits to develop and distribute their threats. Furthermore, 90 percent of all threats detected by Symantec during the study period attempt to steal confidential information. Threats with a keystroke-logging capability—which can be used to steal information such as online bank account credentials—made up 76 percent of threats to confidential information, up from 72 percent in 2007.
The report found that phishing continued to grow. In 2008, Symantec detected 55,389 phishing website hosts, an increase of 66 percent over 2007, when Symantec detected 33,428 phishing hosts. Financial services accounted for 76 percent of phishing lures in 2008 compared to 52 percent in 2007.
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