Sophos, a world leader in IT security and control, has announced the results of its research into worldwide cybercrime activity during the first three months of 2007.
The findings reveal that the overall number of new pieces of malware has grown dramatically, with the majority of malicious code writers selecting the Web as their playground of choice.
In the first quarter of 2007, Sophos identified 23 864 new threats - more than double the number found in the same period last year when the company identified 9 450.
At the same time, the percentage of infected e-mail has dropped from 1.3%, or one in 77 e-mails in the first three months of 2006, to one in 256, or just 0.4% in 2007.
Infected Web sites pose greatest threat
From January to the end of March, Sophos identified an average of 5 000 new infected Web pages every day, indicating this route to infection is becoming more popular with cyber criminals.
With computer users becoming increasingly aware of how to protect against e-mail-aware viruses and malware, hackers have turned to the Web as their preferred vector of attack.
The top 10 malware families hosted on Web sites in Q1 2007 were as follows:
1. Troj/Fujif 50.8%
2. Troj/Ifradv 12.1%
3. Troj/Decdec 10.4%
4. Mal/Packer 6.3%
5. JS/EncIFra 5.5%
6. Mal/FunDF 2.3%
7. Mal/Psyme 2.2%
8. Troj/Zlob 2%
9. Mal/Behav 1.2%
10. Mal/DelpBanc 0.4%
Others 6.8%
Not all of the infected Web sites were created by the hackers themselves. Sophos has found that the majority, 70%, were bona fide Web sites that were vulnerable to attack because they were unpatched, poorly coded or had not been maintained by their owners. A further 12.8% were hosting malicious script while Windows malware was responsible for infecting 10.7%. Adware was found on 4.8% of these pages and porn diallers on 1.1%.
The most high profile Web site infection of the quarter happened in February when hackers placed malicious script, identified as Mal/Packer on the official Miami Dolphins website. The American football team was due to host the Super Bowl the weekend after this happened, so its site was an extremely popular destination for Web surfers at the time. Sophos points out that attacks like these outline the fact that any site, regardless of subject matter, can fall victim and infect innocent visitors if it is not properly protected. Sophos recommends that businesses deploy Web security solutions that not only filter based on Web site categorisation, but that properly inspect the code of every Web site before granting access.
In another incident in March this year, cyber criminals used spam campaigns to lure users to hacked sites in an attempt to sell goods. Legitimate Web sites with PHP vulnerabilities were hacked, redirecting visitors to a pharmaceutical store selling drugs. By using legitimate URLs in their spam messages, they were able to avoid less sophisticated spam filters, and when the victim clicked on the link they went to a genuine Web site only to then be automatically redirected to the hacker's site.
"What is worrying is that many Web sites are falling victim because their owners are failing to properly maintain them and keep security patches up to date," says Brett Myroff, CEO of master Sophos distributor, NetXactics.
"The average Internet user assumes sites such as the Miami Dolphins homepage, for example, are safe to access, but by targeting a whole range of Internet pages, hackers are successfully infecting a larger number of unwary surfers."
Web-based malware hosting countries
The top 10 countries hosting Web-based malware in Q1 2007 were as follows:
1. China 41.1%
2. United States 29.2%
3. Russia 4.6%
4. Germany 4.6%
5. Ukraine 3.9%
6. United Kingdom 3%
7. France 2.2%
8. Netherlands 1.9%
9. South Korea 1.3%
10. Taiwan 1%
Others 8.1%
The first quarter of 2007 has seen the UK, now responsible for hosting 3% of infected Web sites, enter this chart for the first time at number six. There has also been a dramatic increase in the number of hacked sites hosted by China, which is now responsible for hosting over a third of all Web-based malware, taking top position from the United States that led the chart at the end of 2006.
China has traditionally had a bad reputation when it comes to cybercrime, consistently coming in the top two spam relaying countries month after month, so its position in this chart should come as no real surprise. China is also leading the new Internet revolution with a staggering number of individuals claiming Web site addictions.
"Given these rich pickings, it's hardly surprising that hackers are focusing their efforts here," Myroff says.
5% of world's spam sent via Polish ISP
Earlier this month, Sophos revealed there was a surprise newcomer to the dirty dozen spam relaying countries. Having never made an appearance in this chart previously, Poland made a dramatic entry at number three and was responsible for relaying 7.4% of all the world's spam. Sophos's research shows that one single ISP is largely responsible for Poland's position as one of the world's principal spammers. From January to March 2007, one in 20 of all spam messages worldwide was sent via Polish Telecom.
The fact that one average-sized Polish ISP is single-handedly responsible for relaying 5% of the world's spam is astonishing - which is why Sophos is currently in talks with the company on how it can reduce this glut of unwanted mail.
"Spam is a difficult problem to solve as every government legislates differently and the responsibility of the ISPs varies from place to place. There are also market demands that often pressure ISPs to lower prices rather than invest into processes to clean up their output," he adds.
In total, the amount of spam relayed in Q1 2007 has increased by 4.2% over the same period last year.
Further information can be found at: http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/04/reportapr2007.html
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