Attacks on operating systems may be decreasing since last year, but attacks on applications, incidents of malware, and unwanted software are rising and account for 90 percent of vulnerabilities, according to the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, released Saturday.
The amount of malware and unwanted software removed from computers increased 43 percent in the first half of the year, according to the 150-page report, now in its fifth installment. Thirty percent of that malware was Trojan-based, usually in the form of a computer worm or virus disguised as another application that erases data, corrupts files, and reinstalls itself after being disabled.
China had the highest percentage of browser-based attacks at 50 percent, with the United States following with 23 percent. China's infection rate of 6.6 percent, a 41 percent increase from the second half of 2007, was a bit lower than industry experts expected.
Security expert Jose Nazario of Arbor Networks said he thought China would have a higher infection rate than Microsoft's findings, but he wasn't surprised by the percentage of browser-based attacks. "The browser becomes the center and the nexus for the average person because it is feature-rich, and those features increase the vulnerabilities of the browser attacks," Nazario said.
Threats a Continuous Evolution
While businesses and security experts continue to develop software and operating systems to withstand attacks, Microsoft's research shows the problems and threats to both businesses and people continue to evolve.
"The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report gives us a chance to share our extensive analysis of the threat landscape and related guidance with our customers, partners and the broader industry, helping ensure people are better informed and, in turn, protected," said Vinny Gullotto, general manager of the Microsoft Malware Protection Center.
Microsoft suggests consumers and businesses check for and apply software updates on a continuing basis, enable firewalls, and install antivirus and anti-spyware programs that add another layer of protection.
The software giant also suggests that consumers refrain from opening links and attachments in e-mails and instant messages -- even if they are from a trusted source -- without first considering the harm that opening may cause.
Cause for Change
Microsoft's size and global reach allows it to be one of the best companies to handle both the collection and reporting of data, according to Nazario. "There are some potential problems with Microsoft, but they have the best visibility because of their reach and how they collect data," said Nazario. "They have visibility around the world and can get into the details of what is running the host."
Microsoft also has the most to lose by not responding. Part of the company's validation in conducting this research is that it is in a position to collect the data, respond to security issues, and then analyze and share their findings, similar to what they did with Code Red and Blaster, two breeches that put a huge dent in the company. Code Red, a computer worm, attacked Microsoft's IIS Web server in July 2001, affecting 360,000 hosts, according to published reports. Blaster was a computer worm that affected Windows XP and Windows 2000.
"If they are not responding to these threats, then their market share is under threat," Nazario said. "They have a massive responsibility to keep computing safe."
Gullotto said the company is focused on applying the data from the report to its research and response efforts to provide protection to customers.
"They appear to, from what I can tell reading this (report) over the years and in talking with friends who work there, that they take it to heart and use {the data} to make compelling cases for changing the way they do things," Nazario said.
Source
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Nintendo eyes record profit in fiscal year
TOKYO – Japanese gamemaker Nintendo said Friday it was on course for record profits in the current fiscal year, bucking the deepening global financial crisis on surging demand for its blockbuster Wii home console.
Nintendo eyes a record net profit of 345 billion yen ($3.6 billion) in the year ending March 2009. The latest forecast was lowered 16 percent due to a stronger yen, but the new projection is still up 34 percent from the previous fiscal year.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said worldwide sales of the Wii and the DS portable machine remained brisk in the face of a global downturn, and U.S. and European retailers complained they could hardly keep up with demand.
"As far as the overseas market is concerned, I have not seen any signs of slowing demand for the Wii and the DS due to the financial crisis," Iwata told a news conference a day after the company released earnings results. "We can surely meet the sales target of the Wii."
Nintendo Co. expects to sell 27.5 million units of the Wii worldwide in the fiscal year, far outpacing its rival Sony Corp.'s sales target of 10 million units of the PlayStation 3 console during the same period.
Iwata said the soaring sales of the Wii were due to popular game software, including the hugely successful "Wii Fit" exercise game.
"In the United States alone, we are selling 100,000 copies of the Wii Fit game every week," he said.
On Thursday, the company said its fiscal half-year profit through September rose 9.4 percent to 144.8 billion yen ($1.5 billion) and sales rose 20 percent to 836.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion).
Kyoto-based Nintendo sold 8.76 million copies of the Wii Fit game worldwide in the six months to September, and Iwata said he expected to sell 10 million copies of the blockbuster exercise game around the world by the end of this year.
"We keep hearing from European and American retailers saying, 'Don't you have more the Wii, the Wii Fit and the DS.' It's a welcoming headache for us," the president said.
Nintendo's overseas sales, mainly in Europe and the United States, account for 88.5 percent of the company's total revenue, with the remaining 11.5 percent from Japan.
Iwata said the next challenge for Nintendo is to expand its market in Asia.
"We would like to focus on expanding our Asian market next year," he said without elaborating further.
On Saturday, the company is to start domestic sales of the Nintendo DSi, a variation of the DS that comes with a digital camera that will allow players to mix images, scribble on photos and create new faces. Iwata said the DSi will be available overseas in early next year.
Nintendo sold 13.73 million DS hand gaming systems in the first half, up 3 percent even though the device has been on the market for four years.
With the launch of the DSi, Iwata said Nintendo's ambition is to sell the DS machine for everyone.
"We are aiming to sell the DS for every individual, not for every household," he said.
Source
Nintendo eyes a record net profit of 345 billion yen ($3.6 billion) in the year ending March 2009. The latest forecast was lowered 16 percent due to a stronger yen, but the new projection is still up 34 percent from the previous fiscal year.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said worldwide sales of the Wii and the DS portable machine remained brisk in the face of a global downturn, and U.S. and European retailers complained they could hardly keep up with demand.
"As far as the overseas market is concerned, I have not seen any signs of slowing demand for the Wii and the DS due to the financial crisis," Iwata told a news conference a day after the company released earnings results. "We can surely meet the sales target of the Wii."
Nintendo Co. expects to sell 27.5 million units of the Wii worldwide in the fiscal year, far outpacing its rival Sony Corp.'s sales target of 10 million units of the PlayStation 3 console during the same period.
Iwata said the soaring sales of the Wii were due to popular game software, including the hugely successful "Wii Fit" exercise game.
"In the United States alone, we are selling 100,000 copies of the Wii Fit game every week," he said.
On Thursday, the company said its fiscal half-year profit through September rose 9.4 percent to 144.8 billion yen ($1.5 billion) and sales rose 20 percent to 836.9 billion yen ($8.6 billion).
Kyoto-based Nintendo sold 8.76 million copies of the Wii Fit game worldwide in the six months to September, and Iwata said he expected to sell 10 million copies of the blockbuster exercise game around the world by the end of this year.
"We keep hearing from European and American retailers saying, 'Don't you have more the Wii, the Wii Fit and the DS.' It's a welcoming headache for us," the president said.
Nintendo's overseas sales, mainly in Europe and the United States, account for 88.5 percent of the company's total revenue, with the remaining 11.5 percent from Japan.
Iwata said the next challenge for Nintendo is to expand its market in Asia.
"We would like to focus on expanding our Asian market next year," he said without elaborating further.
On Saturday, the company is to start domestic sales of the Nintendo DSi, a variation of the DS that comes with a digital camera that will allow players to mix images, scribble on photos and create new faces. Iwata said the DSi will be available overseas in early next year.
Nintendo sold 13.73 million DS hand gaming systems in the first half, up 3 percent even though the device has been on the market for four years.
With the launch of the DSi, Iwata said Nintendo's ambition is to sell the DS machine for everyone.
"We are aiming to sell the DS for every individual, not for every household," he said.
Source
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