| Top Ten List of Malware in August 2006 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Netsky-P | 19.9% |
| 2. Mytob-AS | 15.8% |
| 3. Bagle-Zip | 8.0% |
| 4. Nyxem-D | 6.4% |
| 5. Netsky-D | 4.4% |
| 6. Mytob-C | 4.1% |
| 7. Mytob-E | 3.2% |
| 8. Mydoom-O | 3.0% |
| 9. Zafi-B | 2.7% |
| 10. Mytob-FO | 1.5% |
| Others | 31.0% |
This month's top two were Netsky-P and Mytob-AS. Protection against Netsky-P has been available for more than two years, yet it remains the most widespread email worm.
Sophos maintains that a large number of computers connected to the internet are simply not protected against threats, which suggests that education on IT security is not making a global impact.
"Continuing to educate and protect businesses is a priority," continued O'Brien. "If businesses are secure, they can focus more time and effort on running their organization and other initiatives as opposed to chasing viruses, rootkits and malware."
In a related poll of 335 business users, Sophos found that 55 percent of respondents worry that a rootkit might infect their computers. A rootkit is a Trojan used to hide the presence of a malicious object that provides access to systems from unauthorized remote users and they typically go undetected by security scanners.
"Most people don't know what a rootkit is, or how to protect themselves against one," indicated Ron O'Brien, Sophos's senior security analyst. "Offering a free Anti-Rootkit will hopefully raise awareness and therefore protect businesses and computer users from these kinds of threats."
