Hot Biz Tips Alert - Worms biting harder into IM, P2P

Story from CNET News.com

Worms biting harder into IM, P2P
Published: October 3, 2005, 6:09 PM PDT
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Instant messaging and peer-to-peer fans are being hit with
more worm and malicious code attacks than ever before,
according to research reports.

The number of threats detected for IM and peer-to-peer
networks rose a whopping 3,295 percent in the third quarter
of 2005, compared with last year, IMlogic said in a
statement Monday. That brings the total year-to-date
increase for 2005 over the previous year to 2,083 percent,
the security software maker said.

And as the attacks increase in number, they also get
smarter, IMlogic said. Worm writers are coming up with more
effective ways to get people to click on links to their
malicious code, and worms can increasingly hop from one IM
network to another, it noted.

The numbers echo data reported by Akonix Systems, a rival
vendor of IM security products. Last week, Akonix said it
identified a record 25 IM pests in September, with seven new
threats. The number of attacks in the third quarter
averaged just more than one per day, Akonix said.

Microsoft's IM network is the most popular target, with 62
percent of all attacks detected in the third quarter hitting
MSN Messenger or Windows Messenger, IMlogic said. America
Online's system is second on the list, with 31 percent
affecting AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) or ICQ. Only 7 percent
of the reported threats went after Yahoo Messenger users,
according to IMlogic.

Experts have advised IM users to be careful when clicking on
links that arrive in instant messages--even if they seem to
be from people they know.

Businesses can use products from various providers,
including IMlogic, Akonix and FaceTime Communications, to
protect against IM pests and manage IM usage.

~ Editors Note ~

Keep those anti-virus programs updated!

Happy marketing!
Lynn
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