picture of a can of spam

Instances of zombies on the rise

Mocbot worm contributes to rise in numbers

Written by Tom Young

There has been a 23 per cent increase in the total number of zombies detected this week due to the release of a modification of the Mocbot worm, according to CipherTrust Research Labs.

An average of 265,000 zombies have been identified per day since the release of the Mocbot worm, which is exploiting the MS060-040 Windows vulnerability announced on 8th August.

Ed Rowley, technical consultant at CipherTrust said: 'Mail volumes have
once again reached a high this week, with spam making up 81 per cent of
the traffic. Much of this increase can be attributed to the spam
originating from the new zombies unleashed by the Mocbot worm.'

The Mocbot worm infects machines through flaws in Windows and programmes
in the Microsoft Office suite. Any computer compromised by the worm will
become part of a large network set up to send out junk mail.

What do you think? Email us at feedback@computing.co.uk

Further Reading:

Worm mutation breeds zombies

US remains top of the spam list

Tags:

reader comments

related articles

 

Symantec report shows huge growth in malware

Cyber criminals increasingly targeting consumers' confidential data 14 Apr 2009

Botnets pushing up spam loads

Over four-fifths of junk messages come from infected machines 30 Jun 2009

Malware jumps over 200 per cent in 2008

Symantec reports huge rise in malicious attacks, and warns of the smartphone risk 14 Apr 2009

related whitepapers

today's top stories

What does Windows 7 mean for Microsoft?

With the sting of Vista still fresh, Redmond has to make next Windows work 10 Jul 2009

A smarter way to use BI

Getting the most from business intelligence systems requires not only careful management on the part of IT leaders, but also the committed involvement of decision-makers across the organisation 08 Jul 2009

The truth behind the Google/Microsoft/NHS rumours

Before Monday 6 July, did you know that Google and Microsoft had services for storing health records? Thanks to an article in... 10 Jul 2009

Quenching a thirst for IT modernisation

A substantial restructure at soft drink supplier Nichols -­ purveyor of Vimto - ­led the company to update its software to Sage 1000 to replace its in-house application. This resulted in the streamlining of the IT department and an opportunity to customise the system 08 Jul 2009

How Satyam cleaned up its act

Chief executive CP Gurnani tells Angelica Mari why Tech Mahindra opted to keep the Satyam brand after it bought the scandal-hit services firm, and explains what the deal means for existing and prospective customers 09 Jul 2009

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

More available - click 'submit' to view

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Advertisement

Jobs

Related jobs

Job of the week

Job alerts

Sign up here

Find your next job

IT Salary Checker

Check salary here

Advertisement

White papers

Search white papers

Top categories

VPN, Extranet and Intranet Solutions

WAN/ LAN Solutions

Network Security

Interoperability-Connectivity

Grid/ Utility Computing

Latest poll

Will Google Chrome OS be a genuine alternative to Windows?

Will Google Chrome OS be a genuine alternative to Windows?

Tell us your views on the new operating system rivalry

View poll results

Latest audio and video articles

network cablesVideo

How to maximise the value of your IT networking investment

A panel of experts discuss networking strategies that deliver real value to business 03 Jul 2009

green footprintsVideo

How to manage enterprise energy use - and the role IT can play

A panel of experts explore how firms can get to grips with their carbon footprint and make smarter use of energy 01 Jul 2009

Latest in-depth articles

Google ChromeAnalysis

Lack of enterprise appeal takes shine off Chrome OS

Enterprise buyers unlikely to ditch Windows for Chrome OS in the near term, say experts 09 Jul 2009

Satyam CEO CP GurnaniNews

How Satyam cleaned up its act

Chief executive CP Gurnani tells Angelica Mari why Tech Mahindra opted to keep the Satyam brand after it bought the scandal-hit services firm, and explains what the deal means for existing and prospective customers 09 Jul 2009

Advertisement

Primary Navigation