Panda reports malware loads up 26 per cent

New malware samples are appearing at an average of 73,000 per day, according to researchers.

Security firm PandaLabs said in a recent report that while growth has slowed in recent months, the load of new malware being detected is up 26 per cent from the same period last year, when daily new malware samples averaged around 58,000.

Of those new samples, Trojan infection tools were by far the most popular, accounting for 70 per cent of all malware. Viruses were the second most common, claiming a 16 per cent share.

Worm tools accounted for seven per cent of new malware, followed by adware with 2.27 per cent, and backdoor applications with 1.89 per cent.

The company noted that in addition to being more plentiful, malware tools are becoming easier to operate and opening up cybercrime to a wider audience. Malware toolkits such as Zeus have gained notoriety in recent years both for their sophistication and ease of use.

"The proliferation of online tools that enable non-technical people to create Trojans in minutes and quickly set up illegal business, especially when it can provide access to banking details, is responsible for Trojans' impressive growth," said PandaLabs director Luis Corrons.

The company noted that while Trojans have grown more popular, the level of malware targeting banking institutions has dropped off lately, as have rogue antivirus attacks.

Other security firms have noticed similar trends in the malware space recently. Juniper Networks Global Threat Center manager Troy Vennon told V3.co.uk that the mobile space in particular is seeing an increase in threats.

Vennon noted that due to its climbing market share, Android has been a popular target for malware writers and the sophistication of attacks are evolving.

"The trend that we are seeing at this point is pirated applications," Vennon said.

"It is incumbent upon the user to know what they are downloading."