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2006 Witnessed a Resurgence in Malware While the Botnet Became the 'Hacker's Best Friend'; 2007 to See Growth of Web Threats Including Those Targeting Social Networking Websites CUPERTINO, Calif., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (NASDAQ:TMIC)(TSE:4704), a leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software and services, today published its 2006 Threat Report and 2007 Forecast. Research gathered and analyzed by TrendLabs(SM) demonstrates that in 2006 organized crime continued to be key to identity theft, corporate espionage and extortion. Botnets have emerged as a popular tool among attackers looking to carry out targeted attacks. Going into 2007 it is expected that a further increase in web threats -- those threats that use the Internet to perform malicious and often self-perpetuating activities -- and in particular those threats targeting social networking sites will be observed. Owing to increased bandwidth in many countries, the downloading of media files, cool programs and other data types is becoming very popular. Malicious attackers are increasingly using public networking sites to hide their malware, with unsuspecting users downloading malicious files, often triggering multiple infection routines. Money remains the primary driver behind the majority of threats. During 2006, image spam has come to the fore, with its emergence helping fuel the trade in the illegal manufacturing and sale of brand-name drugs. Also, hackers, spyware- and malware-creating groups have joined forces to make money from home and business users. 2006 saw the disappearance of large virus outbreaks, replaced instead by smaller targeted or regional attacks. A targeted attack focuses its aim on a particular group of people -- such as a specific company or user group. Regional attacks are similar, but target a country or region with a carefully crafted piece of malware using some type of event that would be of importance to the target group. Outbreaks are quite different in this new situation, affecting fewer users and often combining multiple pieces of malware to create one blended threat. Trend Micro anticipates that this trend will continue to be used by attackers in 2007 and beyond. Noteworthy findings from Trend Micro's 2006 Threat Report and 2007 Forecast include: -- Digital threats have increased at an average of around 163 percent year on year -- Web-based threats have increased by almost 15 percent since last December accounting for almost half-a-million reports this year -- The fight against spyware appears to have reached its peak and some adware is on the verge of becoming malware with the advent of click fraud -- On average, Trend Micro has identified more than two-million different pieces of spam flooding the Internet each month -- Bots are also increasing greatly. Trend Micro recorded an average increase of 15 percent since last December with more than 140,000 bots being flagged every month "Computer crime has evolved into organized crime, it is no longer the game of individual attackers," said Jamz Yaneza, senior threat research analyst. "With money as their main driver, our research has tracked how attacks have moved from being fast and large scale to being cleverly crafted to attack very specific groups under the radar. The unseen web threat is maturing, and users should be ever-more careful about what they download and install, as blended threats are ever-more cunning in their attempt to steal corporate and personal data or money." For a copy of the full report, go to http://www.trendmicro.com/ . About Trend Micro Incorporated Trend Micro Incorporated is a pioneer in secure content and threat management. Founded in 1988, Trend Micro provides individuals and organizations of all sizes with award-winning security software, hardware and services. With headquarters in Tokyo and operations in more than 30 countries, Trend Micro solutions are sold through corporate and value-added resellers and service providers worldwide. For additional information and evaluation copies of Trend Micro products and services, visit our Web site at http://www.trendmicro.com/ . NOTE: Trend Micro and the t-ball logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Trend Micro Incorporated. TrendLabs is a service mark of Trend Micro Incorporated. All other company or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their owners. DATASOURCE: Trend Micro, Inc. CONTACT: Mike Haro of Trend Micro, +1-408-850-1069, or Web site: http://www.trendmicro.com/

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