Spain And United States Top Global Ranking Of Bot-Infected Computers

PRESS RELEASE

GLENDALE, Calif., Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today announced that PandaLabs, the company's laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, revealed that Spain, with an alarming 44.49 percent, tops the global ranking of computers that are infected with bots. These programs, once they have infected a computer, allow hackers to take remote control of the system and carry out a series of actions including sending spam and downloading viruses, worms and Trojans, etc.

Next in the ranking, although a long way behind with 14.41 percent, is the United States, followed by Mexico (9.37 percent) and Brazil (4.81 percent). Those countries least infected include Peru, the Netherlands and Sweden, all with ratios under 1 percent. The data has been compiled throughout the month of October from users of the Panda ActiveScan - Panda Security's free, online solution - and includes infections caused by any of the various families and variants of bots. A graphical breakdown of the ranking of countries infected by bots can be viewed here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/panda_security/4075039318/.

According to Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs, "Along with rogueware, botnets and zombie computers have increased by more than 30 percent so far this year. This is the simplest way for a hacker to take control of computers to distribute spam or malware, therefore making it more difficult to trace and detect the real culprit. The problem is that owners of these zombie computers will be committing crimes without realizing it, and could face having their services withdrawn by their ISPs or even prosecution."

Panda Security recommends that consumers have a good antivirus solution installed and up-to-date, as well as get a second opinion on the health of their computers with Panda ActiveScan (www.activescan.com), a free online scanner, to make sure their PCs are not infected with bots.

About PandaLabs

Since 1990, its mission has been to detect and eliminate new threats as rapidly as possible to offer our clients maximum security. To do so, PandaLabs has an innovative automated system that analyzes and classifies thousands of new samples a day and returns automatic verdicts (malware or goodware). This system is the basis of collective intelligence, Panda Security's new security model which can even detect malware that has evaded other security solutions.

Currently, 99.4 percent of malware detected by PandaLabs is analyzed through this system of collective intelligence. This is complemented through the work of several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc.), that work 24/7 to provide global coverage. This translates into more secure, simpler and more resource-friendly solutions for clients.

More information is available in the PandaLabs blog: http://www.pandalabs.com.