[LINK] European computer virus stats

[Ivan Trundle]

I find this hard to believe, but the leading paragraph of a recent EU report (it is Internet Safety Day there, after all) states that:

'Almost one third of internet users in the European Union caught a PC virus despite the majority having security software installed, statistics show.'

This implies to me that anti-virus software is a joke, or mostly irrelevant. Or am I missing something int he statistics?

The report goes on:

"The EU statistics office said the survey results were probably lower than actual infection rates as the numbers only included users who realised they had an infection. Although the EU figures focus on viruses that infect PCs, security firms have warned that other devices now face similar threats."

The reporters dutifully mention the threat to smartphones, which is a rising meme:

"Numbers suggest that smartphones are becoming more widespread than PCs, meaning they are becoming an increasingly lucrative target for scammers and hi-tech thieves.

Manufacturers shipped 100.9 million smartphones globally in the fourth quarter, compared to 92 million PCs, according to research firm IDC.

Much of the malware targeting smartphones was spread via PDFs and Flash software, Mcafee said."

Righty-ho, then. Out of the 100.9 million smartphones shipped (globally), exactly how many phones were infected/affected? 

The report says 'relatively small' (!), with just 967 'threats' (whatever this means) recorded by Mcafee in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Phew. By my calculations, that's a rather small number.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12390650


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Ivan Trundle
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