31 May 2002
Top ten viruses and hoaxes reported to Sophos in May 2002
This is the latest in a series of monthly charts counting down the ten most frequently occurring viruses as compiled by Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection.
For May 2002, the chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
"For the third month in a row a variant of the Klez worm dominates the virus chart - accounting for more than half of the submissions to Sophos's technical team," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. "Klez-H is trickier to spot than the average virus because it randomly generates a new subject line, email text and attachment name each time it propogates. That said, putting a halt to the spread of Klez-H is as simple as updating your anti-virus software and following safe computing practices. As with any other virus, these simple measures will stop Klez-H dead in its tracks."
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during May 2002 are as follows:
"
JDBGMGR, a recent hoax, dominates this month's chart," continued Cluley. "This fake virus warning panicked many users into thinking a commonly-encountered file was in fact viral. Hoaxes often generate as much inconvenience as real viruses, gobbling up email bandwidth and causing confusion."
514 new viruses were discovered and protected against by Sophos Anti-Virus during May 2002.
The total number of viruses Sophos now detects and protects against is 74067.
More information about Klez.
Graphics of the above Top Ten chart are available here.
More information about safe computing, including anti-hoax policies.
Compiled by Sophos's technical support team, the top ten chart is collated from calls to Sophos's 24 hour, 365 days a year technical support line.
- USA number 1 for malware and spam
- Huge surge in email attachment attacks
- Scareware makes users buy bogus products
About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security
solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
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