Malware Developers Outpacing Anti-Virus Protection Software

January 2, 2008 5:14 p.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - For-profit malware makers are employing ever-evolving technology to outpace security software providers. New malware easily evade security applications, according to PC World's recent tests that showed leading security programs could only detect one in four new malware samples.

In contrast, February 2007 results from similar testing showed that the best utilities caught about half of new samples, it said. When fully updated, however, the best-performing security suites detected 98 percent of 675,000 Trojan horses and other malware.

Security companies like McAfee and Symantec are aware of the problem, and are adding layers of security, including firewalls and behavioral scanners.

Some well-organized criminal groups even maintain their own antivirus setups, according to Don Jackson, senior security researcher with the security services firm SecureWorks. SecureWorks sees new variants of the PRG Trojan horse almost every day and when the new versions first appear only 25 percent of antivirus scanners detect them, he said.