Malware infections (last 12 months) and malware concerns (next 12 months)?

[InfinityAz]

I've seen several articles on how trojans are rapidly increasing in frequency. Plus, there is more and more talk about rootkits, keyloggers, etc.

I wondered what types of malware you personally have been infected with or exposed to during the last 12 months (accidentally infected or exposed to and not on purpose for testing, etc.). I also wondered what types of malware you think or are most concerned about for the next 12 months. Concerned about could equate to most likely to be exposed to, more prevalent, increasing threat, etc.

I realize there is some overlap in the types of malware but there is a limited number of choices for polls so I came up with this poll. The poll repeats to cover the past and future.

Past = infected with or exposed to during the last 12 months
Future = concerned about for the next 12 months

[bigc73542]

I haven't been infected in almost three years and that time was my own fault during a reformat and restore of the os. I am not anymore concerned about getting infected in the next year than i was in the past year. You just have to be careful and run good security apps with out going overboard..

Oh and the infection I had three years ago was a worm.

[InfinityAz]

-{ Quote: "You just have to be careful and run good security apps with out going overboard.." }-

Common sense, our brains, and safe hex are generally the best security apps -- although, often, all three are not used frequently enough (just speaking personally).

[Osaban]

For the last 12 months the only thing I couldn't stop or really control is spam mail although it is manageable, no matter what you use there's always a possibility that some important mail may not reach you if you trust a program to to filter it for you.

Unless drastic measures are undertaken to combat spammers (5 years mandatory prison sentences for starters) I don't see how this plague could be stopped.

Rootkits are also quite scary as they are very difficult to detect.

[WSFuser]

to the best of my recollection, most if not all of my past infections have been trojans. nothing special, my antivirus could usually handle it easily.

for teh future, i see rootkits as a concern. they can be embedded deeply into the OS and theyre tricky to detect and remove.

[sukarof]

I havent been infected with anything for, I dont know, maybe four or five years (well my realtime scanner in my AV has found some malware in javascripts, but that doesnt count I guess). I am worried about (evil) rootkits when it becomes embedded in legitimate software. That would make it a pain to investigate my computer after every install I make. Unless someone makes a program that can distinguish between good and bad rootkit behaviour.

[TOMxEU]

I voted None (past) and I would also vote None (Future), just for myself.
As for others, I would vote Trojans (bots, keyloggers, ransomware, rootkits).
I had no infections for 3 years and I use just firewall as realtime for 8 months.

[Lamehand]

I voted both past and future none, never had the privilege of having malware on this system.

Lamehand

[marcromero]

I voted none to past and future also, I had a virus back around 1999, that's been it for me, I just do not encounter all these internet threats I read about in forums. I sometimes wonder if it's hype or reality...

[Meriadoc]

You said...
-{ Quote: "I wondered what types of malware you personally have been infected with or exposed to during the last 12 months " }-
only for education - so none
and asked...
-{ Quote: "most concerned about " }-
mmm all I suppose, on their own, blended threats, and other - vulnerability with os, although I'm not particulary worried for myself.
As I'm looking at some really nasty malware right now blended with strikes against the os, mbr, kernel structure/DKOM I gave rootkit a vote.

[TNT]

-{ Quote: "I voted none to past and future also, I had a virus back around 1999, that's been it for me, I just do not encounter all these internet threats I read about in forums." }-It's very much reality, and worse than you probably imagine. I encounter infected computers ALL the time.

[Suggers]

-{ Quote: "I just do not encounter all these internet threats I read about in forums. I sometimes wonder if it's hype or reality..." }-

Some people on forums may be a bit paranoid, but unfortunately it is reality, even for 'safe' surfers - I had a variant of Win32/Mabutu.A Worm spammed to one of my email addresses I rarely use a couple of years ago, I had the experience not to open it and deleted it, but many people are tricked by these emails with fake sender names.

Also, my AV blocked a trojan-downloader about a month or so ago, while I was visiting a 'safe' site that has been up for years, but it was compromised and was trying to download a trojan to all visitors, until the site owners got on top of it.

Suggers

[TOMxEU]

-{ Quote: "I just do not encounter all these internet threats I read about in forums. I sometimes wonder if it's hype or reality..." }-
I see, people still talking about some malware, popups or spam, it just sounds so unreal. http://www.wilderssecurity.com/images/smilies/unsure.gif

[herbalist]

Spam is the only problem I'm directly affected by. Some place with my e-mail addy recently got a mailing worm. On PCs I clean for others, trojans and backdoors are what I'm finding the most of. Didn't find half as many viruses/worms as in previous years. Only a few had rootkits, but with many of my clients still using Win98/ME, I see very few rootkits. Spam is probably the biggest problem most people I know have. Most of the spam I see on both my PC and clients have simulated names and realistic appearing subject lines, and the spam filters are not dealing with it well.
For the next year, spam won't get any better. Conventional trojans and backdoors will probably decrease some but will be replaced by ones using rootkits. On really bad notes, I expect to see some virtualization software and sandboxing apps defeated.
One item I didn't see in the poll comes to mind as well, software and OS exploits. If Vista does get released, we'll see some very nasty exploits found, especially if it comes with built in DRM. We'll also see a lot more exploits found and used in other software. Just what we need, more ways to infect a system.
Rick

[marcromero]

I seem to live a sheltered internet life... ;D

[pykko]

Well, there were couple of Ad/Spy trying to break my PC security in the past but hope in the future I'll become a good boy and encounter nothing bad. ;D ;D

[Antarctica]

Beside a couple of Spam every day, I haven't been infected for the last three
years and I am confident it will stay like that in the future.;)

[nadirah]

What do I do to keep my computer secure? Basically most of my knowledge of all this 'stuff' is from my past experiences with it and doing some experiments on my own.

What I learn, I apply it, and I even create plans for my whole computer system, from security to... basically I cover everything, because a computer system is not only about security. And based on my own judgement, I decide what's best for my own system and fit it in.

This system is only secure when it is operated correctly. The rest is secret.

[Mrkvonic]

-{ Quote: "I seem to live a sheltered internet life... ;D" }-

Hello,
You're not the only one.
Mrk

[MikeBCda]

I voted none in the past, since my mutli-layer defenses seem to have so far done just fine. Tracking cookies, sure -- but they weren't included, and I think we agree that with extremely rare exceptions those are more nuisance than threat.

Spam -- well, my ISP takes care of most of that before I even see it.

On one occasion I thought I'd run into a homepage-hijack attempt (SpywareGuard popped up its warning). But in hindsight I must have accidentally hit their "make this your homepage" link, since no such problems there (or anywhere else) since.

As for the future -- who knows what'll be "out there"?

[malformed]

I've never been infected and I highly doubt I ever will.

[the Tester]

I get the occasional Spam.A few Phishing attempts of late.
I'm not overly concerned with either.As long as a user is educated on fraudulent e-mails,caution is a good defense.

My concern for the future is spyware/adware.

[ErikAlbert]

I voted "none", because it's supposed to be that way, but there is nothing so insecure as security.

[JimIT]

Been exposed to many. Infected by none.

[new_age]

I focus on the future. Trojan's WILL be a hassle :-\

[The Gorilla]

Touch wood I have not had a problem in the last 12mths but the future is not so certain especially with more and more trojans, rootkits being developed.