WALTHAM, MA ? Users of instant-messaging and peer-to-peer communications are getting hit with more worm and malicious-code attacks than ever before ? a whopping 3,295 percent increase in the third quarter alone, reports a security software maker.
IMLogic said the third quarter leap brings the total year-over-year increase to 2,083 percent. 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, the company said.
To fend off malicious-code attacks, Microsoft plans to release by year’s end an initial test version of a new product to protect business desktops, laptops and file servers, CNET.Com reported. The new Microsoft Client Protection product will guard against threats such as spyware, viruses and root kits.
The software will offer IT administrators central management capabilities and work with Microsoft’s Active Directory and Windows Server Updates Services patch management tool, the company said. Microsoft did not say how much the new product will cost or when it will be available in final form.
Meanwhile, America Online is strengthening its shields against phishing attacks for its 20 million Internet service subscribers. The Web giant has expanded its agreement with antiphishing specialist Cyota and signed new partnerships with security technology companies MarkMonitor and Cyveillance.
The protection measures aim to prevent AOL members from falling for phishing scams by blocking access. AOL and its partners will scan the Web for fraudulent sites, analyze suspicious URLs, check new domain registrations and attempt to remove phishing sites from the Web, the company said.
