Malware Writers Use Zero-Hour Viruses

Experts warn that criminal virus writers are moving away from large-scale attacks and focusing on “zero-hour malware,” able to sneak past corporate IT security systems, VNUnet.com reports.

The warning comes on the heels of the latest ScanSafe Global Threat Report on Web filtering, which found that viruses increased 13 percent in June.

“Our data indicates that virus writers are using smaller, stealthier, higher-frequency attacks,” Eldar Tuvey, chief executive and cofounder of ScanSafe, told VNU Network. “In the past few months, we have not seen massive, headline-grabbing outbreaks. But we have seen a steady stream of low-volume viruses designed to exploit the time between the initial appearance of a virus and the release of an antivirus signature.”

Tuvey told VNU Network that the zero-hour threats can hit users who don’t have real-time threat protection and fly under the radar until an antivirus signature is released.

He also stated that this type of malware is a significant threat because it is not detected by most security technologies.

Compiled by Paul Kerstein

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