Chris
20-09-2005, 06:40 AM
he UK has the highest proportion of bot-infected computers in the world, a new report from Symantec says.
During the first half of 2005, the security experts discovered that 32 per cent of known bot-infected computers worldwide were located in the UK, highlighting a need for both ISPs and end-users to take action.
Britain leads the shameful bot charts with 32 per cent, followed by the US with 19 per cent and China, with 20 per cent of the world's population, hosts just 7 per cent. The survey has even drilled down to a town by town analysis, naming London and Winsfield as the most bot-ridden residences in Britain.
Symantec, which published its findings in the Internet Security Threat Report, has put the disturbing figures down to the rapid growth of broadband across the country and recommends that ISPs should introduce resilient security mechanisms to help keep their customers safe.
Botnets are infected Internet-connected computers under the control of a remote attacker. Hundreds can be networked and used to send on spam, launch directory harvest attacks or used for Denial of Service attacks against extortion victims.
However, it's not a case of more broadband equals more botnets. Symantec's Senior Development Director, Jeremy Ward told us he conducted some further research with figures from the OECD to see if there was a rank correlation between broadband penetration and botnet infections.
'You would expect to see a correlation in rank,' he told us. 'But actually the reverse is true and there is a statistically significant negative relationship.' The more well established broadband is within a territory, the less likely it is to be riddled with bot-infected computers.
The UK really is number one,' said Ward, 'and the only thing I can pin it down to is this rapid, rapid growth in broadband and an almost culpable, concomitant ... security problem.'
Read more:http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/77523/third-of-worlds-botinfections-are-uk-computers.html
During the first half of 2005, the security experts discovered that 32 per cent of known bot-infected computers worldwide were located in the UK, highlighting a need for both ISPs and end-users to take action.
Britain leads the shameful bot charts with 32 per cent, followed by the US with 19 per cent and China, with 20 per cent of the world's population, hosts just 7 per cent. The survey has even drilled down to a town by town analysis, naming London and Winsfield as the most bot-ridden residences in Britain.
Symantec, which published its findings in the Internet Security Threat Report, has put the disturbing figures down to the rapid growth of broadband across the country and recommends that ISPs should introduce resilient security mechanisms to help keep their customers safe.
Botnets are infected Internet-connected computers under the control of a remote attacker. Hundreds can be networked and used to send on spam, launch directory harvest attacks or used for Denial of Service attacks against extortion victims.
However, it's not a case of more broadband equals more botnets. Symantec's Senior Development Director, Jeremy Ward told us he conducted some further research with figures from the OECD to see if there was a rank correlation between broadband penetration and botnet infections.
'You would expect to see a correlation in rank,' he told us. 'But actually the reverse is true and there is a statistically significant negative relationship.' The more well established broadband is within a territory, the less likely it is to be riddled with bot-infected computers.
The UK really is number one,' said Ward, 'and the only thing I can pin it down to is this rapid, rapid growth in broadband and an almost culpable, concomitant ... security problem.'
Read more:http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/77523/third-of-worlds-botinfections-are-uk-computers.html