Where Does 50,000 Malicious Software (Malware) Come From Each Day?

What is Malware, what is being done about it and why should you care? Malware is actually a combination of terms, malicious and software. Malware is software that is specifically designed to cause harm to your computer systems. There are different types of malware, which include Trojans, Spyware and Viruses.

Recent research shows that, "Anti-virus vendors are getting more than 50,000 submissions of new malware per day now," according to Larry Seltzer at eweek.com.

How is it that anti-virus provider's are getting so many submissions each day? Are there that many forms of malware out there or is more being "created" or written each day? Are all of them effective at harming our computer?

An Inside Look at Creating Malware with Computer Expert Larry Seltzer:

First, it is important to understand that this software is being created every day in an attempt to circumvent any existing security systems you have in place. In order to quickly and easily generate malware, it can either be written (in computer language) or you can purchase a malcode generator. Next malware troublemakers submit this code to a public malware scanning service, like VirusTotal, however there are others available. This is done in an effort to "test drive" the newly designed malware programs and to determine exactly how much undetectable damage this software can do.

If the malware is a good one, it can take some time before it is detected or protection can be designed for it. The effective versions of malware programs are eventually reported and distributed among the many anti virus service providers so the window of opportunity is very small for use and distribution of malicious software.

Why are so many malware programs produced each day? Basically this is because you will catch more fish with a big net. The more malware programs that are submitted and found to be "effective" the more they can generate as well as the more damage that can be done. Many of the ones tested are ineffective, which is great news for consumers, but then malware designers are just back at the keyboard. The turnover is tremendous but yet identity thieves and scammers are vigilant in producing malware hoping to take advantage of uninformed consumers and hit pay dirt.

How can consumers protect themselves from malware? Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer recommends: "Anti-malware needs to be combined with other forms of defense, like a firewall, an intrusion prevention product, running your system with least privileged access and not clicking on links in e-mails (or at least being very careful about doing so)." There's no doubt that today there is more spam and more malware and consumers need to be both more educated and more protected.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets - prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

Expert in Email Tracing Can Use IP Trace to Stop Internet Scams

Internet scams...we've all heard of them happening, and some of us have even been had by one or two. The simple fact remains that they do exist, and it seems that the masterminds behind them aren't getting tired nor are they slowing down anytime soon. So, we have to rely on the experts to catch them, the ones who specialize in email tracing.

A private investigator who is an expert in email tracing is able to use an IP trace to pinpoint the source of an internet scam. All that is needed is one single email that was sent from the internet scam site. The email will be stripped and the header extracted for thorough investigation.

Normally, an email trace will be performed to pull any personal details about the sender of the email, such as the full name, address and phone number when available. The ISP of the culprit is also determined, and can be used immediately to file an abuse report and at least temporarily stop the internet scam from continuing.

To take things a step further, a private investigator will also do an IP trace to determine the location from which the email was sent. So, if the scam artist is operating out of his home or somewhere else, you should be able to find out. Also, most experts will perform a header comparison to check for signs of previous related incidents. With a list of possible suspects on hand, it should be fairly easy for a private investigator to close in on the persons responsible...they will either rule out names or single them out for further investigation.

Email tracing can be a great time saver, especially when you have a first encounter with an internet scam. Most of these scam artists hide themselves so well that it's nearly impossible for you to be able to give any information about them and it actually lead authorities to them. So, you get a private investigator to do a little digging first.

You could certainly take on the task of doing these things yourself, using the free tools online. But, you won't get the results you want or need. You can attempt to find the identity of the person sending you the scam emails with a free email lookup, but you're not likely to get their real name. You can also use the IP lookup tools available and trace the IP from which the email was sent. Chances are this is going to give you a dead end too, only turning up the ISP and the location from which the IP was issued. Neither of these results will do you any good in putting an end to internet scams, and these scam artists are well aware of the fact.

The are many private investigators available to lend their services to you, but you must be sure they are an expert. More importantly, they should be an expert in email tracing and have experience with internet scams.

Ed Opperman, President of Opperman Investigations, is an expert in IP address tracing and has over 10 years experience in online investigations. For more information, visit http://www.emailrevealer.com now!