[December 01, 2005]

IMlogic Threat Center Reports November Instant Messaging Attacks Increased 3,266 Percent over November 2004; Increased IM threat mutations highlights focus by attacker community on inflicting financial damage and intellectual property loss

WALTHAM, Mass. --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 1, 2005 -- The IMlogic Threat Center, the industry's first global consortium to provide global threat detection and protection for instant messaging (IM), today announced that IM security threats increased by 3,266 percent in November versus November 2004. As the number of threats grow and the rate of mutations increase, the risks posed by these threats is increasingly linked to significant financial damage and intellectual property loss. Attackers are progressively using rootkit software to hide the process, files and registry keys for the software used in their attacks. As a result, infected end-users remain unaware of their infection and continue to serve as a point of exposure and propagation.

The IMlogic Threat Center released the following statistics highlighting the increasing threat level to business and consumer users of IM applications. The IMlogic Threat Center provides complete data, analysis and discussion of important trends. Key data released include:

Threat Analysis

-- IM threats in November increased 3,266 percent over November 2004;

-- IM threats in November increased to more than 300 unique instances, compared with 292 in October 2005 and 203 in September 2005;

-- In November, 52 percent of new threats targeted AOL Instant Messenger, with 27 percent targeting MSN and 21 percent targeting Yahoo.

Mutation Analysis

-- Nine of the top 10 IM threats exhibited mutations during the month of November;

-- With 128 total mutations and detection on all the major IM networks, Kelvir was the leader in IM threat mutations, followed by Bropia with 29 mutations and Opanki with 25 mutations;

-- Traditional e-mail worms continue to migrate towards IM, with five of the six most mutated worms demonstrating IM mutations in November.

This monthly report reinforces the findings of the IMlogic Threat Center Q3 2005 report, which detailed a 2,000 percent increase in reported attacks during the first nine months of the year. Thus far in 2005, each successive quarter has shown a marked increase in IM threats.

The IMlogic Threat Center helps companies stay abreast of these mounting attacks via strategic partnerships with Internet security leaders Symantec, Sybari, McAfee, and Postini and global instant messaging leaders America Online, Microsoft and Yahoo! The IMlogic Threat Center is the comprehensive knowledge base for known IM and P2P vulnerabilities and provides rapid response and guidance for protection against newly detected threats.

Addressing the IM Security Dilemma

The latest release of threat data reinforces the fact that traditional anti-virus software is not sufficient to protect against the rapid mutation and spread of the latest IM security threats. Traditional anti-virus products rely on known threat signatures to protect organizations, often racing to release a signature after an outbreak has already been identified. The rapid proliferation of IM threats makes them increasingly more difficult for traditional reactive security approaches to keep pace. The inherent real-time nature of IM combined with the latest trend of increasingly destructive IM threats highlights the urgency for which specialized, proactive IM threat protections are needed.

"The rate of IM threat mutations combined with increasingly sophisticated payloads such as spyware and information gathering agents clearly indicates that IM threats are now being created by attackers focused on organized cyber-crime," said IMlogic Chief Technology Officer Jon Sakoda. "This rise in complexity highlights the breadth and depth of the overall IM security risk, causing organizations to recognize the need for best-of-breed threat protection for real-time communications."

To find the most current and up-to-date threat information visit the IMlogic Threat Center Web site at: http://www.imlogic.com/im_threat_center/index.asp.

About IMlogic, Inc.

IMlogic, Inc. is the market leader in enterprise software for instant messaging, the world's fastest growing communications medium of all time. The largest Fortune 1000 companies across the financial services, energy, healthcare, government, media, telecommunications, technology, and manufacturing industries depend on IMlogic to manage, control and secure corporate IM usage, while satisfying compliance requirements associated with real-time electronic communications. For more information on IMlogic call 877-IMlogic or visit www.imlogic.com.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]

Discussions: