Malware becomes local

Malware is becoming local, and oddly enough, that could be good news for the CIO. "People are writing malware that targets the specific behaviors of local people," said Dave Marcus, security research and communications manager for McAfee Avert Labs. Malware experts are following the trends in local markets. Many Japanese professionals, for example, use a peer-to-peer file sharing service called Winny. To get into this system, hackers have developed Winny-specific malware. The Chinese, as many know, are partial to online gaming. And in response, hackers have developed a series of password stealing programs, according to McAfee. "China sees lots of gaming security issues," Marcus said. Meanwhile, in Brazil, where there is plenty of online banking, hackers are stealing passwords to target bank accounts.

All of this could be part of the reason for the 246 percent growth in malware observed between 2006 and 2007, according to data from McAfee. Since malware is becoming local, McAfee said there may no longer be one giant global conspiracy to fight, just a bunch of little ones. If there is any good news to be found here, that might be it.

For more on malware trends:
- See this InformationWeek article