FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – According to calculations by BitDefender, a provider of antivirus software and data security solutions, file infectors have replaced the mass e-mailed viruses that were a concern in the first quarter of this year.
The company said the Puce.G, a new P2P worm which spreads itself and infects files through popular file-sharing software, topped its list of 10 leading malware for the month of May with 10.31% of total reports. Version B of this worm topped its chart last October.
Only the Netsky.P virus (with a mere 3.82% of machines reporting it) remained in this category of malware on the latest list.
BitDefender also found troubling a new entry, at number five, is the Jeefo.A file infector, an unusual virus that is written in MinGW and makes use of encrypting technologies. This virus is quite harmful, as some of the files it infects become damaged beyond repair.
The company says its Top 10 list of malware accounts for 48.18 per cent of the total number of all viruses seen in circulation.