Klez Continues to Spread
Worm tops April's virus lists, as other old favorites reappear.
Wendy Brewer, PC Advisor
The infamous Klez worm has retained the top spot in security firm Sophos's most frequently occurring viruses table for the fifteenth month in a row, while 475 new viruses were discovered in April.
Two old favorites also reared their heads again--Lovegate-E and Funlove--spreading concern that individuals and companies are not keeping their antivirus software and firewalls up-to-date.
"It's no good installing the software if it's not maintained," says a Sophos spokesperson.
A new virus called Datemake Dialler also made its way into the top ten. The malware, known as a dialer, is programmed to dial a premium-rate telephone line, typically with the intent of gaining access to adult material.
"Businesses should apply strict computing guidelines to avoid getting stung by a huge telephone bill and embarrassed by these seedy programs," says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.
Still Spreading
Top viruses were:
1. W32/Klez-H, 12.7 percent of complaints
2. W32/Lovgate-E, 4.9 percent
3. W32/Bugbear-A, 4.3 percent
4. W32/Sobig-A, 3.3 percent
5. W32/ElKern-C, 2.9 percent
5. W32/Yaha-E, 2.9 percent
5. W32/Yaha-K, 2.9 percent
8. JS/NoClose, 2.1 percent
9. W32/Flcss, 1.9 percent
10. Dial/Datemake-A, 1.6 percent
