Virus top 10: Holidaymakers cause malware tumble

Old timer Netsky.P last month regained its position at the top of the table of most reported malware, making up nearly 15 per cent of all reported viruses in August.

Despite the fact that Netsky.P has increased its share of the most reported viruses according to antivirus firm Sophos, up from 14 per cent in July, the Mytob family of worms remains a threat to PC users everywhere, taking up seven out of 10 chart places and making up more than half of all reported viruses.

The high profile Zotob worm, however, which hit a number of media organisations including the Financial Times and The New York Times, failed to make its mark on the chart despite incorporating elements of the Mytob source code.

However, according to Sophos, the number of virus-ridden emails has dropped slightly, from one in 38 during May, to one in 50 during August.

According to Carole Theriault, security consultant at Sophos, the drop isn't due to virus writers taking a holiday, rather, it's their would-be victims. With August being a popular month for holidays, both home and work PCs are likely to be shut down for weeks at a time, leaving them immune from infection.

August's virus chart in full:

1. Netsky.P 14.7 per cent
2. Mytob.AS 7.9 per cent
3. Mytob.BE 7.2 per cent
4. Zafi.D 3.6 per cent
5. Zafi.B 2.9 per cent
6. Mytob.C 2.8 per cent
6. Mytob.EP 2.8 per cent
8. Mytob.CX 2.7 per cent
9. Netsky.D 2.5 per cent
10. Mytob.CJ 2.4 per cent

Others: 49.5 per cent