Who threatens the world of computing?

Pranks to organized crime - viruses progressed considerably in recent years. ESET company tell us how to deal with the situation 

"The biggest threat to computing they use. Can not fool them, ripping them off, and there's not much you can do about it." Tells us that one of the leading computer security company ESET. "People usually fall easily because they are offered something for free. If one day the computing world would be resolved malware - we at ESET We switch to another business, but I do not see it happening soon." Who works in the office windows on the busy road and blackened buildings of Ibn Gabirol Street in Tel - Aviv, could not help but experience a jealous fit when he came into my office ESET software company in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Large panoramic windows in the lobby and many of those who defile the display of the beautiful Danube River, it adorns top green foliage that turns the whole picture view of the kind you see on postcards. At the end of the corridor is the "nerve center" of society: virus detection lab: dozens of computer stations, with which there are three large screens that display various statistics related to the task of finding new viruses.



No longer child's play



You may "sizifi "is an expression of this workshop type understatement. On average, the company finds out - as well as its competitors - an astronomical number of viruses and malware, about 200,000. Much of those are not new, but actually a variation on existing viruses - files that were modified slightly to suit a new purpose or to bypass the security mechanisms of yesterday. Literally. "Every day we spend, on average, three - four updates," says Yorai Mltz'o. A decade he worked in the company, initially as a researcher and viruses and now the head of the Research Department of ESET. This period gave him some perspective on what has changed in that department. "Once there was a child of scripts" - young boys who created viruses for fun and glory. Today the situation is different. While there are still active in this field of youth are bored, but creating viruses and malware has gradually become a business with ties to the underworld generating large sums of money. So people in this area can afford to have malware programmers for amounts ranging from $ 10,000 thousand. It's a real market (which takes place mainly Russian sites), even including various business plans - profit sharing through monthly subscriptions. Sometimes the manufacturer also gives an undertaking software anti - virus did not exceed his product.



Guarding the world



Last week, a panel discussion held at the President's Technology in Jerusalem, said media executives and global technology digital world The main obstacle is security. "If cyber crime will continue Bmtkfotio At this rate, our digital world will become an insecure world," said a CEO Leo Apotheker HP. Indeed, the new instruments were created at a time when viruses and malware awareness was high, are not immune to viruses. ESET products to mobile platforms too Android and Symbian, and according Mulch tablet products also are under way. This supply is demand. So, he says, the number of viruses for Apple computers currently low indeed infinitely vast numbers of malware to the PC, but according to ESET is evolving field. The company already has released anti-virus software for Mac. "To a product used by masses of people will also criminals. It's just - where people have money," explains Mulch. "Malware authors make crazy money, even millions," says Mulch. "Scaring the user to install something he did not want. Then he had to pay to get rid of it. Antivirus software simulated, for example - which are actually a virus themselves. They simulate computer scan and put out a fake that has many viruses. So to clean them should user to pay money for "full version" of the anti - virus. After he does this - the system shows a clean scan virus, when in fact it did not really scanned before nor since. " Another example of bringing the ransom ESET is software. It is installed on your computer and then wear it with a password. Who wants to get this lock had to send an SMS to number "Premium", which costs money. ESET CEO Richard Marco estimates that viruses remain a major issue of at least a decade. "Computer users everyday people with limited understanding. They want an open system which can install all kinds of things and try them out. "
Who is the most infected countries?
Mulch: those that are not technology education. India, for example. Or Indonesia, where people do not care about security. Austria, however, is not really a trojan epidemics - that are sufficiently aware of. Where most of the damage is targeted programs. " Pavel Luka, CTO of ESET, even believe the incidence of this virus is causing Microsoft to launch anti-virus software of its own. Connection? "When the computer is scrambling to blame Microsoft many times and its operating system. So when in fact the culprit is a virus or malware downloaded and spoiled the work of the system." Richard Marco, "the anti-virus field is such that just to get into, so it took years to Microsoft.'s Hard to compete with a free product, but I believe we have the necessary experience. If a customer believes that a free product serves his needs - for him it would be a good decision use it. But I believe we are much better than free products. "