ID fraud malware hit 10 million users: 2008

And it's rising…

Published: 11 March 2009 08:47 GMT by Elinor Mills

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More than 10 million internet users worldwide were hit with identity fraud-related malware last year, according to a new estimate from Panda Security.

The number of computers infected with active programs designed to steal personally identifiable or financial information that can be used for identity fraud, such as Trojans for stealing bank account information, rose by 800 per cent from the first half of the year to the second half, the study found.

Of the 67 million computers that Panda analysed in 2008 for the study, 35 per cent of those infected had up-to-date antivirus software installed. The number of users who have been actively exposed to identity fraud malware is about one per cent of the worldwide population of internet users, according to the study.

The researchers predict that the infection rate will increase by 336 per cent per month throughout this year, based on the trend of the previous 14 months.