Malicious code disaster recovery costs continues to increase

ICSA Labs, an independent division of TruSecure Corporation, has announced the results of the 9th Annual ICSA Labs Virus Prevalence Survey. The survey shows conclusively that despite increased spending, both the perception and the reality of the malicious code problem continues to worsen.
The survey gathered data from 300 randomised companies and government agencies worldwide about the malicious code problem in computer networks, including desktop computers. The survey was sponsored by Network Associates, Microsoft Corporation, Eset, Trend Micro and the MIS Training Institute.

ICSA Labs conducts the Virus Prevalence Survey to track virus trends and frequency to understand the progress organisations are making in the war against malicious code. The survey points to several trends that occurred in 2003 including the return of ‘Outbreak’ events like W32/Slammer - worms or viruses that spread around the world in a matter of minutes.

Other key trends highlighted in this year's 2003 survey include:
* Malicious code is a growing problem – 88 percent of respondents think that malicious code is "somewhat worse or much worse" than 2002, with only 12 percent stating the situation was "the same or better" in 2003.
* An increase in the number of virus disasters - 92 of more than 300 respondents reported virus disasters in 2003, an increase of 15 percent over 2002. For an event to qualify as a virus disaster, it must meet the historical criterion of 25 or more PCs or servers infected at the same time with the same virus, or a virus incident causing significant damage or monetary loss to the respondent's organisation.
* Malicious code is costing organisations large amounts of money – in 2003, disaster recovery costs increased by 23 percent to almost $100,000 per organisation per event.
* The creation and continuation of factors that contribute to rising infection rates including new virus types, file sharing and new replication vectors.

"Companies spend an enormous amount of money and energy defending against malicious code," said Dr. Peter Tippett, chief technologist at TruSecure Corporation. "These organisations are too often surprised by new malcode vectors and methods and then spend even more money and resources recovering from virus and worm disasters. Corporations need to engage in 'intelligent' risk management, which combines predictive analytics, testing and programs, to eliminate surprises and provide months or even years of lead time before the next 'new' worm."

"The re-emergence of 'outbreak events' and the success of mass mailers in early 2004 illustrates that organisations are not making enough progress in their defence against malicious code," said Larry Bridwell, content security programs manager at ICSA Labs and author of the survey. "Laptops, wireless devices and file sharing have contributed to an ever-expanding set of infection points, leaving companies scrambling to secure their networks. Organisations must take a more proactive stance in securing their networks and educating their employees, vendors must make more secure software, and anti-virus vendors must make more effective heuristic applications if the remainder of 2004 is to be different."

Download an executive summary of the Virus Prevalence Survey at http://www.icsalabs.com/2003avpsurvey/

•Date: 23rd March 2004 •Region: Worldwide •Type: Article •Topic: ISM
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