Chinese sites worst for security threats [BT broadband office]

Chinese sites worst for security threats

Posted 9 August 2007 at 8:37AM by Simon Dickson in Internet security

New research from security specialists Sophos suggests that the UK is doing relatively well in the battle against online infection. Reviewing security threats over the first half of 2007, Sophos found that China was the source of over half the web-based threats reported to its labs, up from a third in late 2006, and overtaking the US in the process.

The Americans sit second in the new Hall of Shame with 27.2%, then there's a big drop to Russia with just 4.5%, and Germany with 3.5%. Ukraine, France and Canada all come ahead of the UK in 8th place, with just 0.7%.

But Sophos expert Graham Cluley says the report should be a 'wake-up call' for system administrators. 'With a whopping 80 percent of all infected webpages found on legitimate sites, it begs the question as to why web hosts are not taking the necessary steps to properly secure their servers,' he said. 'Simple measures such as keeping up to date with security patches will go a long way towards thwarting this problem.'

And before you dismiss it as 'typical Microsoft security holes' - Graham points out that the majority of infected pages are actually hosted on the open-source Apache server software. 'Malware is not just a Microsoft problem,' he warns; 'using Apache on your web server doesn't mean you are now bullet-proof from hackers trying to plant malicious code on your site.'

Tags: apache, china, iframe, malware, microsoft, sophos

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Comments

1. At August 9, 2007 9:22 AM, Robert Currie wrote:

It almost seems like we're fighting a losing battle - as soon as anti-virus software is updated it seems there are new and cleverer threats that can get you anyway.

But remember, the responsibilty to keep your computer virus free doesn't just lie with these websites - it lies with ourselves as well. Up to date and thorough virus scans will see you right. And my best advice, frequently back up your files, just in case the worst should happen.

2. At August 9, 2007 12:25 PM, Mark Thorpe wrote:

One word.....MAC

3. At August 9, 2007 2:41 PM, Patrick Coach wrote:

So, anyway, I was at Jimmy Chungs the other day - it was like £4.99 for an All-You-Can-Eat buffet, but it was all Chinese food - i mean they had chips, which was alright, but there was so many different kinds of chicken that i couldn't believe it! There was ones on sticks, in breadcrumbs, ones that still had facial expressions etc. Brilliant. But then again, I don't like Chinese food - just so you know!

As for the Spyware - i have a false nose, a 'kiddy-on' moustache, a big trenchcoat and one of those watches which can record sound!

4. At August 9, 2007 5:02 PM, Alasdair McTavish wrote:

Typically Microsoft get a lot of stick for the holes found in its software but it isn't entirely its fault. Hackers go for the most common applications to exploit to cause the most havoc.

I remember when Firefox first came out and everyone was praising it for its fantastic web security but these days, since it has become more popular I find I get more spyware through Firefox than IE7!

Apache is the most commonly used server application at the moment so it would make sense why it would suffer from more problems. Macs at the moment are generally considered as secure but that could simply be because it is such a small chunk of the market compared to Windows based systems.

5. At August 10, 2007 3:46 PM, Anjanesh wrote:

End of the day we come back to Windows bashing with IE exploits.But firefox seems to be more robust for all purposes. Active x controls in IE plus other yet-to-be-discoevred loopholes do not reassure IE security for me. I always hop on firefox for secure sites and pop in my live Linux distro for those 'really'nasty sites.never fails.

6. At August 13, 2007 3:30 PM, Marc Ferguson wrote:

Sophos' method of measuring the "most unsecured" countries is quite unfair. I have invented a new method of measurement (IEEE Standard Pending) called the TCP/IP protocol - Threats Caused Per IP.

The formula for finding a country's TCP/IP number is

TCP/IP=(Total number of threats)/(Country's total IP assignment)

The result is displayed as a number to 2 decimal places followed by ITF (Internet Threat Factor (SI unit inclusion pending)) e.g. 2.65ITF

This is a much fairer measurement and levels the playing field as it provides a ratio of the number of threats originating from a particular country, to their number of connections into the internet. One could argue that not all IP's assigned to a country are in use, but this is to be revised in IEEE TCP/IPv7.

(I never was good at satire, but on a more serious note, the sensationalist headline of this blog is a bit much.)

BT broadband office