P2P and IM platforms attacked by virus writers

The number of attacks over instant messaging and P2P systems quadrupled between January and June this year, according to new figures from security firm Symantec. The company's bi-annual Internet Threat Report published yesterday, revealed that of the top 50 malicious code submissions documented over the first half of 2003, 19 used peer-to-peer and instant messaging applications - an increase of almost 400% in only one year. The overall rate of attack activity rose by 19% - companies experienced approximately 38 attacks per company per week in the first half of 2003 compared to 32 attacks during the same period in 2002. However, while the number of viruses and worms targeting Win32 systems more than double, the number of "severe" attacks halved compared to last year.

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