Two new studies add weight to what information security experts have said all year: Malicious activity is way up and Windows is the prime target. Lynnfield, Mass.-based antivirus firm Sophos said in a recent report that they detected 4,677 new viruses in the first six months of 2004; a 21% increase over the same period last year. . . .
Two new studies add weight to what information security experts have said all year: Malicious activity is way up and Windows is the prime target. Lynnfield, Mass.-based antivirus firm Sophos said in a recent report that they detected 4,677 new viruses in the first six months of 2004; a 21% increase over the same period last year.

The general consensus that Windows is the main target is bolstered by a soon-to-be released study by Santa Cruz, Calif.-based research firm Evans Data. More than 90% of Linux users who were surveyed said their systems have never been attacked, and several suggested they switched over from Windows because of increased vulnerabilities.

"It's been a dangerous year," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "We've seen more viruses, they're spreading faster and they are leaving backdoor Trojans behind that are used for future attacks. Hackers understand the value of having an army of zombie PC's and that's what they're working towards."

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