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Malware at all time High

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Malware is everywhere and isn’t about to disappear. The latest PandaLabs report says that last year alone, of all the malware that ever existed, cyber crooks created and distributed 20 percent of that. Malware comes in the form of Trojans, worms, viruses, adware/spyware and miscellaneous, with Trojans leading the pack.

6DRansomware seems to be gunning for the top spot, though, with a recent resurgence.

What about 2014? The 2013 Annual Security Report anticipates that the Internet of Things and Android devices will head the headlines (Android continues to be a favorite target of cyber criminals).

PandaLabs foresees that Android will get socked by hundreds of thousands of new malware strains. In 2013, criminals unleashed over two million new malware threats for Android.

Another area of attack is social media, and in 2013, even large companies, movie stars and politicians were affected.

The Trojan is a true warrior, in that it’s responsible for three-quarters of attacks, says PandaLabs. There was a huge leap in the number of circulating viruses as well, and is attributed to basically two virus families: Xpiro and Sality, says Luis Corrons, the technical director for PandaLabs.

Sality has been around for quite some time, but Xpiro is the new virus on the block, and can infiltrate “executable files on 32-bit and 64-bit systems,” says Corrons.

We’re in the midst of the malware plague; never mind the Bubonic plague. The whole planet is under attack, but some countries more so than others. China is the most infected, along with Turkey and Ecuador: 54.03, 42.15 and 40.35 percent of compromised personal computers, respectively.

Of the 10 least harmed countries, nine are in Europe; the other is Japan. For Sweden, Norway and Finland, the percentage of infected personal computers is 20.28 percent, 21.13 percent and 21.22 percent, respectively.

Robert Siciliano is an Identity Theft Expert to AllClearID. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video. Disclosures.

Android Viruses are the Real Deal

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Smartphones now make up half of all activated mobile phones. And as we know, smartphones are small computers, capable of performing most of the same functions as a PC, primarily through the use of mobile applications.

Some claim that mobile malware threats are still too scarce to worry about. But while PCs definitely remain the bigger targets, smartphones are quickly capturing criminal hackers’ attention, with instances of mobile malware increasing by 600% from 2010 to 2011.

CIO.com’s Al Sacco, “a security-conscious mobile beat reporter,” reported on his experience dealing with his first smartphone infection. His McAfee Mobile Security app identified the Android virus on his Motorola Atrix 4G. “Security expert, I am not, and I’m the first to admit it,” Sacco defers. “But I do know a thing or two about smartphones and the mobile landscape, and I can say without a doubt that the Android threat is very real… It’s better to be paranoid about real threats than to shake them off as nonexistent. And that’s a fact.”

“Paranoid” is a strong word, implying mental illness. And I know that isn’t really what Sacco meant. But maintaining an acute awareness of potential threats to your smartphone and taking action to prevent them isn’t mentally ill, it’s just smart.

What’s really crazy is using an Android device without mobile security, because it’s only a matter of time before that device is infected.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Evangelist to McAfee. See him discussing identity theft on YouTube.(Disclosures)

What Are Your Digital Assets Worth?

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Digital assets include: entertainment files (e.g. music downloads), personal memories (e.g. photographs), personal communications (e.g. emails), personal records (e.g. health, financial, insurance), and career information (e.g. resumes, portfolios, cover letters, contacts), as well as any creative projects or hobbies involving digital files.

If your PC crashes or is hacked and your data is not properly backed up, how devastated will you be? Whether for personal use or for business, chances are you have a collection of documents, music, and photos that, if compromised, would almost feel as if your house and all your belongings had been burned up in a fire.

A recent survey found that 60% of respondents own at least three digital devices per household, while 25% own at least five. (Digital devices are mainly desktop or laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones.) As many as 41% of those surveyed spend more than 20 hours per week using a digital device for personal use. Admittedly, I’m online for at least 16 hours a day.

Photographs and similar memorabilia are the main digital asset that most people (73%) consider irreplaceable, should they be lost without having been backed up. Respondents valued personal memories at an average of $18,919, compared to $6,956 for personal records, $3,798 for career information, $2,848 for hobbies and projects, $2,825 for personal communications, and $2,092 for entertainment files.

Consumers estimate the total value of all their digital assets on multiple devices at an average of $37,438, yet more than a third lack protection for those devices.

According to Consumer Reports, malware destroyed 1.3 personal computers and cost consumers $2.3 billion in the last year. Not only have hackers continued to target PCs, with the increased popularity of tablets, smartphones, and Macs, threats are becoming both more common and more complex for non-PC devices. For example, according to McAfee Labs, malware targeted at Android devices has jumped 76% in the last three months.

Many people protect their PCs and digital assets from malware by installing antivirus software. When it comes to smartphones, tablets, and Macs, however, they leave the doors open to criminals. Bad guys are now targeting these devices, as they have become the path of least resistance. Now more than ever, a multi-device security strategy is necessary.

McAfee understood this and solved the complexity and cost pain points by developing a product called McAfee All Access (www.mcafee.com/allaccess) This is the first full security offering for Internet connected devices — from smartphones and tablets to PCs and netbooks. Basically you can get a single license for a great price to secure all of the devices you own!

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee Consultant and Identity Theft Expert. See him discussing identity theft on YouTube. (Disclosures)