Malware authors hungry for profit

The vast majority of malware is created with criminal intent as black-hat hackers turn from technical one-upmanship to seeking real financial gain, according to a new report.

Some 88 per cent of the new malware detected in the second quarter of 2006 was related to cyber-crime, reported PandaLabs in its latest global report. 

"The results show how malware creators are concentrating on profiting from their efforts, creating increasing numbers of Trojans and bots," said Luis Corrons, director of PandaLabs.

"The greatest danger is that Trojans are installed and operate silently without users noticing any of the typical symptoms of infection, and victims are unaware that their computers are being used to steal from them or even from third parties."

Over 54 per cent of the new malware detected by PandaLabs comprised Trojans, compared to 47 per cent in the previous quarter.

Trojans are highly versatile and can be used for a variety of nefarious actions such as stealing bank details or downloading other malicious applications.

Bot-building Trojans, used to assemble networks of zombie PCs from which criminal gangs can launch denial of service attacks or spread spam, represented 16 per cent of the total, up from 12 per cent the previous quarter.

New backdoor Trojans accounted for 12 per cent, while rogue diallers represented just 3.8 per cent of all malware. Adware and spyware accounted for 1.7 per cent.

See also:

Rootkit malware has double sting in its tail

Zcodec modifies DNS settings and loads additional malware  30 Aug 2006

Social networks riddled with malware

One in 600 profiles host infection  10 Aug 2006

Google diverts traffic away from malware sites

Search engine shields users from spyware and adware services  07 Aug 2006

Hackers crack secret Google malware search codes

Be afraid, be very afraid  24 Jul 2006

Criminal malware surges as virus threat fades

Time to switch from PCs to Macs, says security expert  05 Jul 2006

StopBadware.org names and shames malware

Badware Watch List identifies malicious programs  25 May 2006

Macs 'open target' for malware

McAfee expands security coverage to Macs  07 May 2006

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