Symantec reports 48% increase in threats to data

By Janet Harris

Symantec Corp’s Internet Security Threat Report Volume XI, identifies an increase in data theft, data leakage, and the creation of targeted, malicious code designed to steal confidential information for financial gain.

The number of bot-infections increased worldwide by 29% to over 6 million, in the second half of 2006.

Trojan attacks increased by 23% compared with the first half of 2006, to represent 45% of the top 50 malicious code samples, supporting Symantec’s predictions that Trojans are starting to replace the mass-mailing of worms.

Malware such as Trojans and bot networks, enable an attacker to gain access to a victim’s computer and steal sensitive data. This can result in significant financial loss, especially if the attack reveals credit card or banking information.

Threats to confidential information increased by 48% in the second half of 2006, accounting for 66% of the top 50 malicious code reported to Symantec.

Threats that could expose user data, including user names and passwords, accounted for 62% percent of threats to confidential information during the second half of 2006, compared with 38% in the first half of the year.