[Dabhand16]

Computer viruses hit one million

The number of viruses, worms and trojans in circulation has topped the one million mark.

The new high for malicious programs was revealed by security firm Symantec in the latest edition of its bi-annual Internet Security Threat Report.

The vast majority of these programs have been created in the last twelve months, said Symantec.

Cyber criminals pump out malware to fool anti-virus programs which look for characteristics they have already seen.

Money game

The latest edition of the Symantec report covers the second half of 2007 during which time the security firm detected 499,811 new malicious code threats. This figure was up 136% on the first six months of 2007.

Throughout 2007 Symantec detected more than 711,912 novel threats which brings the total number of malicious programs that the security firm's anti-virus programs detect to 1,122,311.

The report notes: "almost two thirds of all malicious code threats currently detected were created during 2007."

The vast majority of these viruses are aimed at PCs running Microsoft Windows and are variants of already existing malicious programs that have proved useful to hi-tech criminals in the past.

Symantec said part of the rise was down to criminals increasingly using trojans as a "beachhead" to gain access to a PC and then use that route to download and install a variety of other malicious programs.

Popular malicious installations include key loggers that spring to life if particular websites are visited or programs, such as online games, are started up.

The report also put the growth in malicious code down to the increasingly professional digital criminal underground.

Typically, groups engaged in hi-tech crime employ groups of programmers to generate the novel variants.

The fact that these programmers expect to be paid drives the criminals to make as much money as possible out of the information they steal and to be constantly on the look out for new victims.

Said the report: "The combination of these factors results in a high volume of new malicious code samples that threaten users online."

Source: BBC

[mr cat]

If you receive an email entitled 'Bedtimes'
Delete it IMMEDIATELY.






Do not open it.










Apparently this one is pretty nasty. It will not only erase everything on your hard drive, but it will also delete anything on disks within 20 feet of your computer.










It demagnetizes the stripes on ALL of your credit cards. It reprograms your ATM access code, screws up the tracking on your VCR, and uses subspace field harmonics to scratch any CD's you attempt to play. It will program your phone auto dial to call only 0898 numbers.










This virus will mix antifreeze into your fish tank.











IT WILL CAUSE YOUR TOILET TO FLUSH WHILE YOU ARE SHOWERING.










It will drink ALL your beer.










FOR GOD'S SAKE, ARE YOU LISTENING? ?



It will leave dirty underwear on the coffee table
when you are expecting company.











It will replace your shampoo with Nair and your Nair with Rogaine.









If the 'Bedtimes' message opened in a Windows 95/98 environment, it will leave the toilet seat up and leave your hair dryer plugged in
dangerously close to a full bathtub.











It will not only remove the forbidden tags from your mattresses and pillows, it will also refill your skim milk with whole milk.











***WARN AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.





***





And if you don't send this to 5000 people in 20 seconds, you'll fart so hard that your right leg will spasm and shoot straight out in front of you, sending sparks that will ignite the person nearest you.











Send this warning to everyone!

THERE'S A LOT OF SADNESS IN THE WORLD!

Right now, as you read this, 17 Million people are having SEX!!!

And look at you - you're on the computer

[JMitchell]

Mr Cat. Long but so very true to life.

[silkstone]

Penguins keep viruses away.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by silkstone

Penguins keep viruses away.

By making your pc completely useless

[JMitchell]

Hahaa, good one Steve, I've written that down....

[silkstone]

It wasn't *that* funny.

Just the sort of comment I'd expect from someone who spends too long near viruses.

[JMitchell]

I know, and I also like Linux myself, and would consider using it, or at least installing it on my external hard drive, once I get a copy of the latest Ubuntu, which I keep forgetting to download / send off for.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by JMitchell

I know, and I also like Linux myself, and would consider using it, or at least installing it on my external hard drive, once I get a copy of the latest Ubuntu, which I keep forgetting to download / send off for.

You'd do better to just unplug your computer...it would have the same overall effectiveness

[silkstone]

Well I've been using Ubuntu for the last 14 months and my general ineffectiveness has had nothing at all to do with the OS.

So now you can all have a good laugh.....

My new machine arrives this weekend. It is über-fast and has everything including a built-in Espresso machine (and cupholders).

And it will run.....













Go on - have a guess.

[Sonsey]

Originally Posted by silkstone

And it will run.....













Go on - have a guess.

...Far away from useless penguins?