Top ten viruses and hoaxes reported in March 2004
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The report, which examines virus and hoax reports in the month of March 2004, shows eight new entries to the chart.
The top ten viruses in March 2004 were as follows:
Top Ten viruses reported to Sophos in March 2004
"The authors of the Netsky and Bagle worms have been battling for virus writing supremacy in March, with both releasing new variants in a tit-for-tat game of one-upmanship," said Carole Theriault, security consultant, Sophos. "The Netsky author wins the dubious accolade of the month's biggest virus, accounting for almost 60% of all reports to Sophos, but the biggest losers are the innocent computer users who have been caught in the crossfire of the Netsky/Bagle spat."
"As the argument between the two virus writers escalated, a torrent of new worms was released," continued Theriault. "To minimise the impact of such virus activity, businesses should consider blocking all attachments containing programs at the email gateway and setting up their anti-virus protection to update automatically."
The top ten hoaxes
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during March are as follows::
1. Hotmail hoax: 18,8 % (8. month on 1st rang)
2. JDBGMGR. 18,1 %
3. Meninas da Playboy: 7,5 %
4. A virtual card for you: 6,3 %
5. Bonsai kitten: 6,1 %
6. WTC Survivor: 5,0 %
7. Budweiser frogs screensaver: 4,0 %
8. Bill Gates fortune: 2,6 %
9. Elf Bowling: 2,5 %
10. Jamie Bulger: 2,1 % (new entry)
Others: 27,0 %
"This month's new entry targets the nation's conscience by exploiting the tragic death of Jamie Bulger. Users are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of opening emails but distributing and forwarding chain letters only wastes time and bandwidth," continued Theriault.Published: 05/2004
Author: SOPHOS
