2004 in review: Botnets, phishing and spyware

December 30, 2004

Botnets, phishing and spyware | The Register By John Leyden

2004 in review -- The year 2004 in internet security will probably be best remembered as the year the profit motive became a primary driver for the creation of computer viruses. 2004 also saw several high-profile arrests, making it one of the most successful years in the fight against cybercrime with a number of high profile arrests.

Home PCs became the front line in the fight between cybercriminals and defenders as the growing use of networks of compromised machines (botnets) to send out spam or in DDoS attacks became a major security headache. Windows XP SP2, touted as Microsoft's most important advance in computer security, made its debut - the jury is still out on SP2's efficacy in defending agains botnets.

During 2004 the number of known viruses passed the 100,000 mark, according to F-secure, the anti-virus firm. ...

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