In early 2017, the Trojan Horse was the world’s most dangerous malicious software threat online.
Of all the different malware on the web, trojan horses accounted for over 60% of all total online threats recorded by the antivirus software developer Avira. This being a total of over 700 million detections throughout the first eight or so months of 2017.
In case you’re wondering what a Trojan horse program is, it’s a type of malicious software that is disguised to be a useful or helpful program in order to trick the user into downloading it. The most well-known kind you’ve probably heard about that definitely gets plenty of media attention is known as ransomware. If you’re browsing the web daily, you better make sure you have a top antivirus program installed as this software is known to encrypt user data and hold it hostage, requesting a ransom amount to be paid for its release. The payment is usually made in a form of cryptocurrency. Ie, Bitcoin. Probably the most common ransomware known by the most would be the infamous Cryptolocker Virus.
Secondly, with more than 222 million cases found by Avira, the second most common threat comes from exploit kits. This malicious software exploits security weaknesses. For example, a security flaw in Windows 10 software or outdated programs and working by infiltrating the unexpected device. These viruses tend to spread online via infected websites or emails.
If you have ever used Malwarebytes to scan for viruses, you’re probably familiar with the PUP or potentially Unwanted Program it presents at the end of a virus scan. These are the third most common kind of malware with over 173 million cases detected. These programs often accompany legitimate software and applications but are downloaded and installed without the user’s knowledge or intent. Depending on the application, some can be harmless others can be super malicious to your operating system. Having up-to-date antivirus or malware protection can ensure proper safeguarding against these threats that are maliciously integrated into many installations and download processes.
Finally, with over 131 million detections, phishing scams. These work by using fake and fraudulent websites that mimic the website landing page of PayPal or your local bank in order to trick you into providing your personal data, such as usernames and passwords or even addresses and bank details.
Why not check out our top picks for the leading antivirus software available for 2017!
