Leading Provider of SaaS Web Security Reports October had highest rate of Web-delivered malware in 2008
LONDON and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif- November 18, 2008 - In its monthly Global Threat Report issued today, ScanSafe, the pioneer and leading provider of SaaS Web Security, reported that not only did the rate of Web-delivered malware increase sharply in October, the month ended as the single highest month of 2008. Given that 2008 has been the highest year on record for Web-delivered malware, this outcome is particular concerning.
According to the latest ScanSafe Global Threat Report, 65% of malware blocks in October 2008 resulted from visits to compromised websites.
"Web users can no longer associate malware with inappropriate sites," comments Mary Landesman, senior security researcher at ScanSafe. The ongoing compromises of known legitimate websites aren't measured in the hundreds, or thousands, or even tens of thousands, but rather can be counted in the millions. Once compromised, these sites become virtual conveyor belts of malware, attacking each Web surfer that visits."
In its latest report, ScanSafe also noted that in October 2008, 13% of all Web malware blocks were from encounters with backdoors and password stealers. This is alarming given that the vast majority of all Web-based malware is blocked at the initial stage of encounter and thus indicates attackers are increasingly employing methods that allow them to engage more directly with users.
"Direct encounters typically result from some form of social engineering indicating that cyber criminals are increasingly targeting their victims," adds Landesman. "We have even seen some specific targeting towards Facebook users which represented 1.5% of all Web malware blocks in October. Given the increasingly sophistication of cyber criminals, the consequences of not having real-time threat protection in place is more severe now than ever."
The risk of Web malware encounters from search engine results pages is also higher than previous months, at 9.3% of all encounters.
The ScanSafe Global Threat Report represents the world's largest security analysis of real-world corporate Web traffic and is based on an analysis of more than 20 billion Web requests the company processed each month for customers in over 80 countries.
For a copy of the latest monthly ScanSafe Global Threat Report, please click here
