Malware 'grew by 100 percent' in 2007

The amount of malware detected on the internet doubled in 2007, according to the software security company F-Secure.

New malware variants are being created by cyber criminals "in bulk", according to F-Secure, which is based in Finland. Social engineering continued to be a favored way for cyber criminals to deliver malware, often conning email recipients into opening links that lead to web site hosting the malware.

Patrik Runald, security response manager at F-Secure, said: "We've never seen as many samples arrive at our lab."We would be unable to handle such huge loads if we would not have built a high degree of automation into our malware analysis systems over the past years." Online financial transactions are a favored target of cyber criminals, F-Secure warned, with the amount of phishing sites increasing exponentially.

So-called Man in the Browser attacks, where banking Trojans are fed directly into applications are also becoming more popular. For information on other digital products and services visit Broadband National.

F-Secure releases new security product

The security software company F-Secure has announced the release of its Internet Security 2008 product.

F-Secure's newest product is designed for "minimal user interaction" and does not require one to maintain separate security products, the company claims. Included with the product is an automated update service, courtesy of the company's research section, F-Secure Security Labs. Additionally, F-Secure's DeepGuard technology is also present, which is specially designed to counter threats which have not been identified yet. This piece of technology "reduces the response time to zero", F-Secure claims.

Ari Alakiuttu, vice president of products and Services at F-Secure Corporation, said: "Security is no longer defined in terms of fear, but the new measure is enablement and opportunity. "Our task is to enable our customers to soar with the possibilities of the net, leaving their security worries to be handled by our professional service."

F-Secure was founded in 1998 and is based in Finland. Click here for information on digital products and services.