Sophos CEO - 60% of Web-based threats in January to June 2008 have affected Apache servers

[url]http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/techforum/2008/0809120717.asp?S=Malware&A=VIR&O=google[/url]

[+quote]
BRETT MYROFF , CEO, SOPHOS SOUTH AFRICA

Almost 60% of Web-based threats in January to June 2008 have affected Apache
servers. This is a notable increase from the level seen during 2007, when
Apache Web servers accounted for less than 49% of Web-based infections. A
large number of Apache servers are hosted on Linux or some flavour of Unix,
highlighting the fact that malware is not just a Microsoft problem.
[-quote]

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:22:30 -0400, Subway steel wrote:
[color=blue]
> [url]http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/techforum/2008/0809120717.asp?S=Malware&A=VIR&O=google[/url]
>
> [+quote]
> BRETT MYROFF , CEO, SOPHOS SOUTH AFRICA
>
> Almost 60% of Web-based threats in January to June 2008 have affected Apache
> servers. This is a notable increase from the level seen during 2007, when
> Apache Web servers accounted for less than 49% of Web-based infections. A
> large number of Apache servers are hosted on Linux or some flavour of Unix,
> highlighting the fact that malware is not just a Microsoft problem.
> [-quote][/color]

I guess the many eyes were close during that sampling period....

--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:

[url]http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/[/url]

* Subway steel peremptorily fired off this memo:
[color=blue]
> [url]http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/techforum/2008/0809120717.asp?S=Malware&A=VIR&O=google[/url]
>
> [+quote]
> BRETT MYROFF , CEO, SOPHOS SOUTH AFRICA
>
> Almost 60% of Web-based threats in January to June 2008 have affected Apache
> servers. This is a notable increase from the level seen during 2007, when
> Apache Web servers accounted for less than 49% of Web-based infections. A
> large number of Apache servers are hosted on Linux or some flavour of Unix,
> highlighting the fact that malware is not just a Microsoft problem.
> [-quote][/color]

"Almost 60% of Web-based threats in January to June 2008 have
affected Apache servers."

What does he mean by "affected" and by "web-based threats"?

In the next paragraph he says:

"The first half of 2008 has seen very focused malware attacks,
which are designed to infect specific individuals and corporations
rather than the Internet community at large," Myroff adds. In
April, there was a specifically targeted e-mail campaign sent to CEOs
of various companies. The e-mails all related to federal subpoenas,
pretended to be from the US Federal courts, and tried to frighten
their hand-picked recipients into opening a dangerous attachment.

Is he saying that these Apache servers are conveying the attack code to
user?

If so, the next question is, to whom do these Apache servers belong? To
the people who are promulgating attack using bogus/dangerous web sites
of their own making? Or to people who have had their Apache servers
hijacked for malicious purpses?

The article raises more questions than it answers.

As more and more companies put defences in place at their e-mail
gateway, and home users are protected by their ISP or Web e-mail
account provider, criminals may have to become more inventive in how
they deliver their messages and malware.

"While the current level of Facebook, Bebo and LinkedIn spam is
still dwarfed by e-mail spam, there are likely to be more attempts to
use Web 2.0 Web sites to spread malware and spam in the future,"
Myroff says.


--
I'm having a BIG BANG THEORY!!