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INDUSTRY NEWS


14 May 2008

Online criminals 'repackaging malware'


Internet criminals are more and more choosing to use malware packers to attack business enterprises online, it has been revealed.

A new study from IT security provider BitDefender revealed that the same malicious software packer was used in three of the top malware attacks in April 2008. It said that this represented a growing shift in the way that hackers put their attacks together.

"It seems repacking malware to attempt avoiding detection, rather than spending time and energy writing new viruses from scratch is a technique that's here to stay," said Sorin Dudea, head of BitDefender AV Research.

BitDefender added that packers aren't the only means by which hackers can recycle their malicious codes. It explained that the fourth position on the list of most common malware attacks for April was occupied by a malware loader, which enables two packed pieces of malware to transform an infected machine into a spam relay.

A study by IDC recently warned that a growing number of businesses are being faced by a culture of hyper-connectivity among their employees – a boom in device and communications usage – that is exposing their systems to greater security threats.

IDC found that 16 per cent of enterprise employees are now hyperconnected, using at least seven communications devices and nine applications a day, including mobile phones, email, instant messaging and social networking.

© 2006 Adfero Ltd.

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