Spyware spikes in northern Europe
Network Security · 2006
2005 was the biggest year yet for spyware, with the UK and the Nordic countries having the most infected of European computers. The latest ‘State of Spyware’ report from Webroot reveals record infection rates for the worst types of spyware. Of note was the rise in the most malicious types – Trojan horses and system monitors. For enterprises, between Q3 and Q4 2005, the number of Trojan horse infections increased 9% worldwide, and from Q2 to Q4 2005, the number of system monitors like keystroke loggers increased 50% consecutively each quarter. Throughout 2005, the company's researchers observed a steady increase in the complexity and severity of spyware technology. Keyloggers using kernel-level drivers became increasingly common as the year progressed, and the usage of polymorphic code continued to increase.