Beijing losing control of malware, according to Network Box

Beijing is in danger of losing control of the amount of malware distributed from the city.

It continues to be the most prolific source of spam and viruses, according to managed security company Network Box. During June, the companys security responses blocked more than four million viruses, worms and Trojans daily, with Beijing accounting for 40 per cent of all viruses released and more than five per cent of all spam.

The city was the main source of viruses for the second month running, and June saw a 90 per cent increase in the amount or viruses released. In May, the city accounted for 21 per cent of all viruses released, which increased to 40 per cent in June. The nearest rivals in the chart were Wattleup, Australia (3.68 per cent) and Madrid, Spain (2.48 per cent).

June also saw Beijing top the spam charts for the ninth month running. However, there was a marked decrease in the amount of spam released, in May it accounted for 11.29 per cent released, dropping to 5.25 per cent in June. Moscow, Russia (5.12 per cent) was second and Seoul, Korea (3.58 per cent) was third.

June saw a 1,860 per cent increase in the Nyxem.e worm blocked by Network Box. The worm accounted for only 2.53 per cent of all worms seen in May, but this increased to 49.71 per cent in June. The nearest rival, NetSky.q, accounted for 18.32 per cent.

Simon Heron, Managing Director, Network Box, comments: There is a real danger of Beijing becoming public enemy number one for global malware. The increases we are seeing are probably down to illegal software that cant be patched. With the rise of compromised machines and botnets, this could have far wider implications for global internet security.

Three small variant Trojans took charge of the chart this month: .coc (43.48 per cent) -1164 (23.59 per cent) and .cnd (17.15 per cent) accounting for more than 84 per cent of all Trojans seen in June.

Top Sources of Spam

1. Beijing, China                                  5.25 %

2. Moscow, Russia                             5.12 %

3. Seoul, Korea                                   3.58 %

4. Turk, Turkey                                    3.40 %

5. London, UK                                     2.47 %

Top Sources of Viruses

1. Beijing, China                                  40.00 %

2. Wattleup, Australia                          3.68 %

3. Madrid, Spain                                  2.48 %

4. Taipei, Taiwan                                 2.35 %

5. Henan, China                                  1.71 %

Top Worms

1. Nyxem.e                                          49.71 %

2. NetSky.q                                          18.32 %

3. Worm.Fujack-18                             3.86 %

4. LovGate.ad                                      2.80 %

5. Warezov.pk                                     2.55 %

Top Trojans

1. Small.coc                                        43.48 %

2. Small-1164                                      23.59 %

3. Small.cnd                                        17.15 %

4. Agent.fl                                            5.70 %

5. Agent.bvx                                        2.48 %

About Network Box

Network Box Limited (NBL) is an international managed security services company, specialising in unified threat management (UTM).  It continuously defends the networks of its customers using PUSH technology to instantaneously update protection, from 12 Security Operations Centres spread around the globe. NBLs customers in Asia, Australia, North America and Europe include companies such as BMW, Nintendo and Toyota, as well as banks, utilities, and government organisations.