Levels of malware creation in 2009 broke all previous records, according to a new report.
Security company PandaLabs has claimed that it recorded more new malware in 2009 than in its 20 year history, identifying 25 million new strains in just one year compared to a total of 15 million since the company began.
Banking trojans and fake anti-viruses were the worst offenders, with the first accounting for 66 per cent of the new strains.
Social networks were identified as the main channel for the malware to be distributed with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Digg being specifically identified.
The report also showed high spam activity with 92 per cent of all email traffic falling under this category.
When looking at which countries were worst affected by malware the UK fared pretty well, coming in as the fourth lowest victim. Taiwan topped the list, however, followed by Russia and Poland.
Unfortunately, the report concluded that 2010 is set for more rises, predicting Windows 7 will attract more hackers as well as an increase in attacks on Macs.
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
AI security blunders have cyber professionals scramblingNews Growing AI security incidents have cyber teams fending off an array of threats
-
What is your digital footprint?In-depth Your digital footprint is always growing – so we explore how you can keep it under control
-
Nine top GDPR tips for email marketing strategiesIn-depth It's not all doom and gloom – here's how you can make GDPR work for you
-
Why GDPR creates a "vicious circle" for marketersNews Customers will control the forthcoming trust economy, predicts Aprimo
-
Facebook will allow adverts to target users based on beliefsNews The company will also give users opt-ins to use facial recognition to prevent impersonation
-
Tim Berners-Lee: How we can win back the webNews The public must reject misinformation and keep control of their own data
-
Windows Troubleshooting Platform 'is serving malware'News Troubleshooting service used as a pathway to con victims into downloading malware
-
Social network users play fast and loose with data privacyNews Over-sharing puts users at risk of identity theft and fraud
-
UK government Facebook data requests grow 71%News Only US and India ask for more user details from the social network
