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| Report: Almost all new malware targets Windows |
A new report shows that cybercriminals release hundreds of thousands of new malware variants every day, a large percentage of which target Windows users specifically.
Researchers at Atlas VPN, a provider of virtual private network services, concluded that a total of 62.29 million new malware samples, or approximately 228,164 new variants, will be discovered each day in the first three quarters of 2022.
The researchers derived these numbers based on statistics published by AV-TEST, a German company that provides independent comparative testing and analysis of antivirus, anti-malware tools, and security software for Windows, Mac, and Android.
According to the report, 59.58 million new malware samples, or 95.6 percent, have been developed for Windows. Linux malware was second with 1.76 million samples or 2.8%, followed by Android in third place.
Google's mobile operating system found 938,379 new threats, or 1.5%, between Q1 and Q2 2022, while Apple's macOS researchers found 8,329 never-before-seen threats, according to an Atlas VPN variant.
According to researchers, cybercriminals mainly target Windows because of its popularity and prevalence, since, according to StatCounter Hardware, Microsoft is the most widely used computer platform with a share of about 75.11% of the global desktop market, followed by macOS with 15.66. %.
According to the operating system market data for all devices in November 2022, Android ranked first with a percentage of 43.43%, followed by Windows with a percentage of 29.3%, followed by iOS with a percentage of 17.22%, followed by iOS. Mac OS IS down 6.08% and Linux systems were last, down 1.09%.
Despite the staggering stats, the outlook is not as bleak as it seems. The number of new malware variants has decreased by 34% compared to the same period last year, the researchers said. Of all the different variants, ransomware remains the most harmful and therefore the most widespread.
Other common variants include programs that steal information such as saved passwords, credit card information, keystrokes, and screenshots, followed by miners and bots that use infected devices connected to the Internet to launch denial-of-service attacks.