Are computer viruses making a comeback?
According to Microsoft Director of Trustworthy Computing Tim Rains, it’s rare to see viruses detected in more than 5 percent the world’s computer systems. For one thing, viruses were built to attack computers in the era before ubiquitous Internet connectivity.
However, new data from Microsoft shows the relative prevalence of viruses trending upward.
“The prevalence worldwide for the virus threat category was 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12),” Rains wrote in a Thursday post over on the Microsoft Security Blog. “Locations with high levels of viruses included Pakistan (viruses found on 44 percent of systems with detections), Indonesia (40 percent), Ethiopia (40 percent), Bangladesh (38 percent), Somalia (37 percent), Egypt (36 percent) and Afghanistan (35 percent).”
Looking at this list of locations, it seems that most don’t have the same levels of Internet connectivity and bandwidth that locations in North America and Europe have, Rains noted.
The good news is that viruses are relatively easy to defend against. To learn more about the rising number of viruses and how to protect your computer from them, read Rains’ post over on the Microsoft Security Blog.
Jeff Meisner
Microsoft News Center Staff