The second quarter of 2014 has witnessed an abnormal surge in malware samples (malicious software) used to disrupt computer operation across all platforms and this can be attributed to several deterrent causes. Quick Heal’s Threat Research Labs have witnessed a rise as high as 90% in the samples of malware where the cybercriminals and malicious software authors are constantly devising methods to penetrate home and enterprise networks.
Sanjay Katkar, Chief Technology Officer, Quick Technologies, says, “One possible explanation for this spurt in malware threat can be the continued usage of Windows XP on several machines, months after Microsoft has removed all technical support for the operating system. Several users still continue to work on this OS which has now become the most targeted OS with no security patches available.”
Furthermore, this quarter, Quick Heal has identified an advanced software “ransomware” that locks down a machine and takes control over it. Once it has locked a PC down, it demands a “ransom”. The malicious program claims that it would unlock the machine only upon the payment of the said ransom and also threatens the victim by claiming to be from a higher authority. This induces a sense of panic which pushes the victim to actually make the payment hoping to free their “kidnapped” machine.
Looking at higher dependability on the mobile and online platforms, the second quarter of 2014 witnessed a humongous growth in the number of Android and Windows malware.
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