Hackers like Windows XP
April 27, 2010 – 10:42 pm
Microsoft has released a progress report Security Intelligence Report (SIR), covering the situation of information security on the Internet in the second half of 2009. In the document data are based on an analysis of statistical data collected by different software protect your PC with more than 500 million computers worldwide, as well as through online services Windows Live Hotmail and Bing.
According to the report, in the second half of 2009, experts Microsoft revealed 126 million samples of malicious applications. This is 8,9% more than in the first half of last year. Of particular interest attackers began to show spyware and tools, exploiting the discovered vulnerabilities in software products. Almost 50% increase in the number of fake security software.
Through a comparative analysis conducted by hackers attempt to break Microsoft products, the experts concluded that 55,3% of all attacks in the studied sample accounted for exploitation of vulnerabilities in Windows XP. Total in the second half of 2009, Microsoft released 47 security bulletins to address 104 vulnerabilities.
The second half of last year was characterized by a significant increase in the number of unwanted e-mail messages related to advance fee fraud (the so-called “Nigerian letter” or “419 scam”) and gambling. In this case the five countries from which cyber criminals by sending spam, entered the U.S. (27%), South Korea (6,9%), China (6,1%), Brazil (5,8%) and Russia (2,9 %), notes 3Dnews.ru.
In Microsoft note that cybercriminals began to focus on infected websites and hacking attempts of Internet Explorer sixth version. Many were recorded attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in an office productivity suite Microsoft Office. It is curious that in 75,7% cases burglars used a vulnerability (CVE-2006-2492, the gap Microsoft Word, associated with malformed object pointer), which at the end of 2009 more than three years was available security patch.
The full report Microsoft Security Intelligence Report can be downloaded here. Submitted in 11 languages, including Russian.
