[infowar.de] Wash Times, 1.3.04: Computer viruses, worms set costly Internet record

[Ralf Bendrath <ralf - bendrath -! - sfb597 - uni-bremen - de>]

Infowar.de, http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~bendrath/liste.html
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For the record: Auch die WT ist jetzt auf mi2g reingefallen. Diesmal mit
den Schadensmeldungen für Februar 2003, wo die Firma offenbar versucht,
den hier bereits diskutierten Hype nochmal aufzuwärmen.
RB


Computer viruses, worms set costly Internet record

By Tim Lemke
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published March 1, 2004
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    February was the worst month ever for cyber-security as a record
number of computer viruses and worms attacked the Internet, flooding
in-boxes with unwanted e-mail, crippling Web sites and costing
businesses up to $83 billion worldwide.
    Security specialists reported hundreds of new viruses and worms
during the month, including several new e-mail worms that caused
significant financial hardship to computer users and businesses.
    Internet attacks in February caused an estimated $68 billion to $83
billion in damages worldwide, British computer-security firm mi2g
reported. The damage estimates are about $50 billion higher than in
January, previously the most costly month on record. Much of February's
cost stemmed from the MyDoom worm, which appeared at the end of January
and continued to spread.
    MyDoom, along with at least a half-dozen major worms that appeared
in February, sent themselves to most of the listings in computer e-mail
address books. Some shut down Web sites by flooding the sites with data.

    The estimated cost of February's Internet attacks rose nearly $13
billion in the last 10 days of the month, when several new worms and
viruses appeared. The worst of them, known as Netsky, spread so quickly
it became one of the top 10 most-damaging viruses or worms of all time,
mi2g said.
    To estimate the cost of Internet attacks, mi2g calculated lost
business and productivity and the cost of extra bandwidth, software and
pay to workers assigned to clean infected systems.
    In February, five new versions of MyDoom combined with the Netsky
worm and others to send millions of unwanted e-mail messages with
misleading subject lines such as "delivery failed," "status" and "read
it immediately."
    A recent variant of MyDoom, known as MyDoom.F, succeeded in flooding
the Web site of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
last week. Access to RIAA's Web site was hampered Friday in some parts
of the world.
    The first MyDoom worm in January triggered similar attacks against
the Web sites of Microsoft and SCO Group Inc., the owner of the UNIX
operating system.
    The recent worms and viruses also are designed to insert programs
into computers that allow them to be controlled remotely. By gaining
access to these computers, hackers can perform illegal activities
without detection, including sending mass amounts of unwanted e-mail ads
or spam.
    Although February was the worst month for cyber-security in terms of
economic damage, it likely was not the worst in terms of computers
infected, security analysts said. More computers were infected in
August, when the SoBig.F, Welchia and Blaster appeared.
    Some security analysts said the cost of Internet attacks is rising
because hackers are getting better at finding infected computers and
using them to attack Web sites.
    "The level of sophistication required to mount such attacks is
higher than average," mi2g reported. "Hackers with beginners' skills
with their usual scanning tools cannot exploit a ... compromised
computer that easily on the Internet."



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