2009 Annual Report on Computer Security

PandaLabs, part of Panda Security, a leading provider of computer security solutions, has released their 2009 Annual Report on computer security.

Bottom line: It is pretty scary reading. 2009 was, without a doubt, a record-setting year for the creation of new threats and security issues. Cyber-criminals have become much better at making money from their malware and avoiding detection.

To read the report makes you feel that there is no way to be a user of computers safely these days. That isn't true (yet) but new solutions and security approaches are required as new threats are created. The amount of money made from malware in 2009 was more than any previous year so it is safe to safe that we will be seeing more of the same in 2010 and beyond.

Here are some highlights of the report:

• 25 million new strains of malware were identified in just one year, compared to a combined total of 15 million throughout the rest of Panda Security’s 20-year history.
  
• Banker Trojans and fake antivirus programs topped the threat ranking
• Social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Digg) and SEO attacks were favored by cybercriminals for spreading malicious code
• Politically motivated cyber-attacks significantly increased throughout 2009

Stayed tuned for my analysis as I read through the report but if you want to read it yourself you can find the pdf file here: 2009 Annual Report from PandaLabs.