Computer Security 2009 Sees Previous Malware Record Broken

2009 Sees Previous Malware Record Broken

In the first half of 2009, McAfee recorded more than 1.2 million unique samples of malware, putting the year well on course to breaking last year's record in malware creation. For the full year of 2008, McAfee identified a total of only 1.5 million unique pieces of malware.

There were many frightening statistics expressed in the report, such as the average loss per victim from phishing is $866, and 80 percent of all banking emails are fraudulent. According to the numbers, 30 to 40 percent of all password stealing trojans focus on gaming and virtual worlds, illustrating the high profit potential of virtual goods.

The Director of Security Research and Communications at McAfee, Dave Marcus, said that, "In the first half of 2009, we have seen about three times the unique malware discovered in the same period in 2008. This tremendous growth is a signal of daunting times for users, as malware infiltrates more and more of the platforms we trust."

Whether or not these reports are accurate remains to be seen, but there is no denying that as we make bigger and more important strides in the field of technology and computer science, the threat of malware grows to a more prominent feature in our immediate future. How safe can we really be?

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