30 April 2003
Top ten viruses and hoaxes reported to Sophos in April 2003
Klez charts for 15th consecutive month, dirty dialer creeps into top ten.
For April 2003, the virus chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
"While Klez refuses to go away, a new entry this month is Datemake - a type of malware known as a dialer.
It is programmed to dial a premium rate telephone line, typically with the intent of gaining access to adult material," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Anti-Virus. "Businesses should apply strict computing guidelines to prevent getting stung by a huge telephone bill and embarrassed by these seedy programs."
Sophos detected 475 new viruses, worms and Trojan horses in April. The total number it now protects against is 81,437.
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during April 2003 are as follows:
"The WTC Survivor hoax continues to fool many computer users. Indeed a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates has recently warned readers to be ready for imminent attack," said Cluley.
"People who receive this hoax shouldn't believe everything they read. Instead of forwarding the warnings to everyone they know, they should ask their network managers for advice."
Sophos has made available a free, constantly updated information feed for intranets and websites which means users can always find out about the latest viruses and hoaxes.
Graphics of the virus top ten chart are available here.
More information about safe computing, including anti-hoax policies.
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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