Is malware overwhelming the Internet?

It seems that the Universe (or life) must follow a strict set of rules. One of them concerns good things and says: “There’s always a few people who spoil it for the rest of us”. This rule, of course, also applies to the Internet.

ZDNet Asia reports on the explosive growth of malware on the Web and cites a PandaLab research that says that approximately 37,000 malware samples are discovered every day – and more that half of them are modified during the first 24 hours to bypass scanners.

Another research shows that the number of data-stealing Trojans has increased 1,424 percent in the past year (and a whooping 4,955 percent since 2007!). Following that increase is also the rise of compromised Web sites that host it.

Cybercriminals have the knowledge and a good grasp of Web’s possibilities, not to mention an excellent understanding of user behavior, so the rise of social networking has made it easier for them to achieve their goals.

Another heavily used approach is the exploitation of vulnerabilities in Adobe offerings, especially Flash and PDF. It got so out of hand that even the director of the Sans Institute recommends to users to avoid them as much as possible. As bad as this news can be for Adobe, it is only a temporary answer. And we are still nowhere near a final solution.