I always enjoy checking these facts out from Sophos, and it is always nice to know what the hard-hitting threats are for the month. It gives you the advantage of learning about them and how they tick so that you can help protect yourself from them.

Sophos, a world leader in IT security and control, has revealed the most prevalent malware threats and email hoaxes causing problems for computer users around the world during February 2007.

The figures, compiled by Sophos’s global network of monitoring stations, show that the HckPk family has had the greatest impact on computer users this month, accounting for more than half of malware seen during February.

Hackers are increasingly using encryption and packer tools - such as those belonging to the HckPk family - to camouflage their malicious code. January’s hardest-hitting worm, Dorf, plus the prevalent Dref mass-mailing worms are just two examples of the malware currently being hidden within HckPk programs. Sophos has also found that cybercriminals are constantly modifying their HckPk disguises in an attempt to bypass IT defences.[more]

Tags: Malware