“Microsoft on Monday revealed the results of a 15-month test of its Malicious Software Removal Tool. The utility that seeks out and destroys malware reported malicious programs, or bots, on six out of 10 Windows computers it examined,” Jennifer LeClaire reports for TechNewsWorld. “Microsoft made the announcement at the Tech Ed conference in Boston, leaving little doubt that bots are pervasive on the Internet. Bots are automated programs that scan systems and Web sites. Search engine spiders that crawl the Web are good bots, but hackers use this same technology to control PCs so they can spread spam, attack Web sites or steal a victim’s identity. ‘The malware environment out there is worse than most people even dream of,’ Mike Murray, director of vulnerability research for nCircle, told TechNewsWorld. ‘This report underscores the need for people to understand their security and the need for vendors to work towards security as a goal of their product.'”
“Microsoft scanned 5.7 million consumer and small business PCs on which its Malicious Software Removal Tool was installed between January 2005 and March 2006. The results reveal that about 20 percent of the participating PCs had been cleaned, then re-infected, typically with a different kind of bot. In addition, about 35 percent of the bots were installed after victims opened e-mail or IM attachments, or downloaded data files from peer-to-peer networks. The majority of the remaining bots spread without any required action by the victim,” LeClaire reports. “At least one ‘backdoor Trojan,’ a malicious computer code secretly installed onto PCs, was discovered on 3.5 million computers. That’s 62 percent. Most of the backdoor Trojans functioned as bots communicating over a private messaging channel to a remote attacker.”
Full article here.
“The statistics also show how computer worms never really go away. For example, the ‘Blaster worm,’ which first surfaced in August 2003, is still the 10th-most-removed piece of malware, according to Microsoft. Indeed, Redmond found that in about 20 percent of cases where it removed malware in March 2006, the intruder was something the removal tool had previously nixed. The continued high rate of Blaster infections no doubt is due in large part to the number of people who re-install Windows for whatever reason and do not immediately apply security updates or take other precautions necessary for surfing the Internet with a Windows machine, such as using firewall and anti-virus software,” Brian Krebs writes for The Washington Post.
Full article here.
By the end of 2005, there were 114,000 known viruses for PCs. In March 2006 alone, there were 850 new threats detected against Windows. Zero for Mac. While no computer connected to the Internet will ever be 100% immune from attack, Mac OS X has helped the Mac keep its clean bill of health with a superior UNIX foundation and security features that go above and beyond the norm for PCs. When you get a Mac, only your enthusiasm is contagious.
Connecting a PC to the Internet using factory settings is like leaving your front door wide open with your valuables out on the coffee table. A Mac, on the other hand, shuts and locks the door, hides the key, and stores your valuables in a safe with a combination known only to you. You have to buy, configure, and maintain such basic protection on a PC.
On a Windows PC, software (both good and evil) can change the system without your even knowing about it. In order for software to significantly modify Mac OS X, you have to type in your password. You’re the decider. You approve changes to your system.
People attempting to break into computers may disguise a malicious program as a picture, movie, or other seemingly harmless file. You might download such files from the Web, or get them via mail or chat. A PC just blindly downloads them without a peep. A Mac, however, will let you know that you may be getting a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The Mac web browser, Safari, can tell the difference between a file and a program, and alerts you whenever you’re downloading the latter.
A Mac gets much of this out-of-the-box protection from its open source UNIX heritage. The most critical components of Mac OS X are open for review by a worldwide community of security experts. Their input helps Apple continually make Mac OS X ever more secure. And it’s simple to update a Mac with the latest advances. By default, a Mac checks for updates weekly. For pure peace of mind, you can set a Mac to download security updates automatically. Apple digitally signs the updates, so you can be sure they come from a trusted source.
To get a sense of just how big the virus problem is, search for “virus” at both Apple and Microsoft. Compare the number of results. What’s more, the 100 most virulent attacks cause 99.9% of damage from malicious software. None of these attacks work on a Mac. Don’t you deserve such protection?
More info: 114,000 viruses? Not on a Mac.
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Microsoft apologists and why Apple’s Mac OS X has zero viruses – October 24, 2005
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ZDNet: How many Mac OS X users affected by the last 100 viruses? None, zero, not one, not ever – August 18, 2005
16-percent of computer users are unaffected by viruses, malware because they use Apple Macs – June 15, 2005
97,467 Microsoft Windows viruses vs. zero for Apple Mac’s OS X – April 05, 2005
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