BitDefender Uncovers New Breed of Malware Threats Targeting Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, May 18 (MARKET WIRE) --
BitDefender, an award-winning provider of innovative anti-malware
security solutions, has uncovered new "malware-spreading vectors" --
methods that are being used to infect small and medium-sized businesses,
allowing dangerous malware to enter a business' network and compromise
its security.

"BitDefender is finding that small and medium-sized business are at an
increased risk because many don't have the level of security necessary to
prevent these vectors from being used to infect their networks," said
Viorel Canja, head of BitDefender Labs. "Businesses need to be aware of
these new and dangerous methods of infection and install a complete
up-to-date anti-malware security solution."

The most recent example was the Conficker worm, which spread to millions
of computers by using multiple infection vectors, including Microsoft
Windows RPC Service exploit, bruteforcing weak administrator passwords,
and copying itself to removable drives.

A business network can be infected even when it is not connected to the
Internet -- malware can be brought into a business network by a single
employee who accesses the Internet outside the office, gets infected, and
brings the worm to work with a USB stick.

Through these vectors, cyber-criminals can harvest sensitive data quickly
and easily. Once a network has been infiltrated, Trojans and adware listen
to all the traffic carefully, filtering out online banking accounts,
credit card details or computer-related data like OS version, hardware
details, or software licenses. All this information is either sold or
used for monitoring purposes in order to prepare for more targeted
attacks. Examples for such e-threats are WhenU, SaveNow and
Trojan.Banker.LCG.

Another vector currently being used to infect networks is the online scam.
Phishers set up online scam websites, websites that impersonate legitimate
entities, and steal the user's login credentials or trick the user into
downloading applications on to their computers. One recent online scam
involved a website impersonating Facebook. The fake site was designed to
look exactly like Facebook and contained a fake YouTube video. Once a user
clicked on the video, it requested the user download an application called
"Adobemedia11.exe" which was password stealing Trojan. The e-threat
monitored FTP, ICQ, POP3 (email) authentication details and stole
information from applications such as Outlook Express, MSN Explorer and
the Autocomplete function. Most recently, the scam started to imitate a
Bank of America Help page.

Small business networks are seldom prepared for these types of threats --
the IT expertise and funding needed for mitigation is usually not
available. Such threats are best met with integrated solutions that can
provide safety from sophisticated e-threats, while remaining
cost-effective and easy to manage.

"We say 'small or medium business' and we immediately think of a
mom-and-pop store or of that lumber yard at the edge of town. The truth is
more nuanced," said Vince Hwang, BitDefender's director, global product
management. "Credit card payment processors can be small and medium
enterprises. Government contractors of all kinds, including those that
work for the military, can be SMBs. IT security shouldn't be an
afterthought and it shouldn't be a burden either."

To stay up-to-date on the latest e-threats, sign-up for BitDefender's RSS
feeds here.

About BitDefender(R)

BitDefender is the creator of one of the industry's fastest and most
effective lines of internationally certified security software. Since its
inception in 2001, BitDefender has continued to raise the bar and set new
standards in proactive threat prevention. Every day, BitDefender protects
tens of millions of home and corporate users across the globe -- giving
them the peace of mind of knowing that their digital experiences will be
secure. BitDefender solutions are distributed by a global network of
value-added distribution and reseller partners in more than 100 countries
worldwide. More information about BitDefender and its products are
available at the company's security solutions press room.

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