List of top e-threats points to computer use trends

BitDefender issued its monthly top 10 list of e-threats, which offers some insight into security and computer use trends.

The list (for January) is as follows:

1. Trojan.AutorunINF.Gen – 7.40%
2. Trojan.Crack.I – 5.82%
3. Win32.Worm.Downadup.Gen – 5.78%
4. Gen:Variant.Adware.Hotbar.2 – 4.26%
5. Java.Trojan.Downloader.OpenConnection.AI – 3.56%
6. Win32.Sality.OG – 2.24%
7. Gen:Variant.Adware.Hotbar.1 – 2.23%
8. Exploit.CplLnk.Gen – 2.19%
9. Win32.Sality.3 – 2.00%
10. Win32.Worm.DownadupJob.A – 1.92%

Comparing it to previous lists, they noticed that the Downadup/Conficker worm has dropped from the first to the third place and concluded that computer users have finally recognized the need of regularly applying patches to their Windows and that possibly some of them have migrated form the XP to version 7 of the OS.

But the bad news is that the list also reflects that software piracy is on the rise. Number two on the list is a relative newcomer by the name of Trojan.Crack.I – a Trojan that masquerades as a generator of false registration keys for cracking shareware software’s protection.

It steals information regarding the applications that run on the affected computer, and for extra fun, it opens a backdoor into the system. Its simultaneous appearance on the various regional top 10 list of e-threats indicates that software piracy is still a problem in Great Britain, Germany, Spain and Romania.