Malware by the numbers

Spanish security firm Panda Security said that it had come across 220 million pieces of malware since it began detecting malicious code. Panda Security recorded an average of 200,000 new malware strains every day in 2014.

Trojans came out as the most common malware, accounting for 70% of all new malware created, followed by viruses (12.3%), other malware (10%), worms (6%), and adware/spyware (3%).

PandaLabs technical director, Luis Corrons branded the CryptoLocker trojan one of the “nastiest”.

“We are experiencing a significantly greater amount of malware targeted across a larger number of devices. And despite the numbers of infected devices globally dropping overall, 2014 saw some of the worst data breaches ever, hackers disassembling entire corporate infrastructures and indiscriminate attacks on the entire online community,” he told Infosecurity.

“Cyber-criminals are showing themselves to be more resourceful and active than ever therefore companies and users must take a more active stance, maintaining awareness of security issues and employing all prudent protection solutions.”

China remained the country with the highest global infection rate, at a whopping 49%, followed by Ecuador (42%) and Turkey (41.5%).