Computer Viruses Returning across the World, States Microsoft Specialist

Tim Rains, Security Expert at Microsoft remarks that there's a global increase in PC viruses yet again following a downside in their popularity for years among PC hackers, published zeenews.india.com dated May 18, 2013.

According to the specialist, albeit computer attackers chose viruses in a fewer number of cases, in the present time, since other malware types were available, still lately Microsoft security team noticed that currently, viruses were being increasingly employed unlike years till now when they were out of action.

Rains says, large infection rates bear an association with broadband penetration such that a low percentage of broadband use makes fewer chances of contracting Trojans, worms and other malware through the network.

As per Microsoft's research, PC-viruses, which accounted for 5 percent of all malicious programs around the world, hiked to 7.8 percent when 2012 concluded.

Within particular pockets worldwide, this hike happened to be more prominent. Therefore, about 40% of computers checked for malware infection in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ethiopia had viruses while in Egypt and Afghanistan, these rates were 36% and 35% respectively.

Rains further writes that over 8m PCs globally have contracted the Sality virus, which contaminates .exe and .scr named files as also can disable security software and computer processes. The malware usually merely impacts PCs continuing to operate Windows XP.

For contaminating PCs, Sality exploits a security flaw, which as well became the target of the Stuxnet worm that damaged Siemens equipment put into operation at the Iranian nuclear fuel enrichment plant.

Elsewhere Rains writes that Sality's successful attack is a proof that file contaminators may continue to remain effective. As different from viruses of the past, hackers currently are attempting at stealing information via switching on cameras and microphones on target computers, he adds. Computerworld.com published this dated May 17, 2013.

Microsoft's report cautions that even if viruses can yet be easily spotted as well as eliminated, still it's advisable that users maintain up-to-date anti-virus programs on their PCs and eschew taking down content from unfamiliar online sites alternatively transfer data via external drives such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices.

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