Warning over IM worm explosion

The number of worms that targeted instant-messaging services hit 62 in November, up 226 per cent from October and hitting a new record, Akonix Systems said on Tuesday.

Of the worms, 58 were variants of previous pests, and four were new. In the same month, a total of 14 attacks hit peer-to-peer networks, such as eDonkey and Kazaa, according to Akonix, which sells security software and appliances.

Of the worms related to IM services, 36 per cent were tuned to more than one public network and 13 per cent had the capability to spread through all four major IM networks.

This indicates threats are getting more sophisticated and no longer target just one IM system, Akonix said.

Popular IM networks are run by AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo!.

Joris Evers writes for CNET News.com