The Hindu Business Line : More phishing attacks likely

Some instances
A Web site that weakens computer's immune system and provides a permanent back door entry for all viruses while users surf for information on bus routes and package tours
Another is social network sites in which user creates a virus that ensures members on a network are added to his address book

Chennai , Dec. 31

For those who believe the Internet might become more secure in the coming years, there is bad news.

According to a `Security Wrap up' report by F-Secure Corporation, an Internet security provider, malware is likely to double to about 2 lakh viruses in 2007 and spam is expected to go over 7 billion messages.

Over 37,000 phishing sites were discovered since July 2006 and many more are expected in 2007, according to Mr Patrik Runald, senior security specialist, F-Secure Security Labs, Kuala Lumpur.

In Chennai recently, he spoke to Business Line on new virus attacks discovered this year and what that indicates for the future.

Would you suspect a site providing information on travel and tourism to aid virus entry into your computer? Probably not.

Unfortunately there is no way a user can identify such a site. "Unless stringent measures are put in place to verify basic registration information, such sites will continue exist and wreak havoc," he said.

For instance, F-Secure discovered such a Web site that weakened computer's immune system and provided a permanent back door entry for all viruses while users surfed for information on bus routes and package tours. The site was traced to the US and had been registered in 2003. The site's owner had given invalid data including addresses and contact numbers while registering with authorities, according to Mr Runald.

Another area that saw virus action in 2006 was social network sites. Mr Runald cited the case of a user who created a virus that ensured members on a network were added to his address book. When the user sent malicious code, all members in his address book received it and their computers were affected.