The »State of Internet Security Report« by the Webroot Software Inc. indicates an increase in malware which at the same time becomes technically more and more sophisticated. According to the study, 43% of companies questioned already suffered from a disruption of their business operations due to malware which has already contaminated 4.2 million websites.
The study explains which costs and potential legal consequences companies could be faces with, if they are not sufficiently protected against malware. The study also mentions measures suitable for fending off malware attacks. Tests by Webroot carried out with their own Phileas spyware detection system revelead that 1.7% (4.2 million) of the 250 million websites worldwide are contaminated with malware which could also infect other websites. In 2006 alone the number of such contaminated websites was 3 million.
Due to its high degree of organisation, the high increase in and threat of cyber crime even the American FBI meanwhile attributes the third highest priority level to IT crimes. Only the fight on terror and espionage have higher priority.
More than 40% of companies say that they already experienced business losses causes by spyware. Most worrying is the finding that 26% stated that classified information had been affected by spyware attacks. Particularly worrying are the following figures:
• 39% of companies reported attacks by trojans
• 24% reported attacks by system monitors
• 20% said to have been attacked by phishing and keyloggers
Despite these alarming figures a recent report by the Small Business Technology Institute revealed that 20% of all companies do not even dispose of an adequate protection against computer viruses, two thirds do not have any IT security insurance and many companies react only when they have suffered damages.
Webroot Software is a provider of internet security software for small and medium-sized enterprises. Their study can be ordered for free. 