Computer Associates (CA), an international provider of IT security software, released its top 10 virus threats list for the year 2001, and its regional headquarters has issued a warning to all Middle East IT users that they will see increasingly complex threats in 2002.
“Virus authors today are capable of creating increasingly sophisticated and destructive methods of attack, which means that users in the Middle East, as well as anti-virus vendors in the region, must also increase the level of their awareness,” said Abdul Karim Riyaz, marketing manager with CA Middle East. “One thing is certain, regional habits and practices must change, or there will be increased devastation in the coming year,” added Riyaz.
The list, based on reports tracked by the company’s antivirus research centers, indicates that over 90 percent of 2001’s top threats used email as their primary means of propagation.
CA’s experts stressed that users will have to take further steps to protect themselves from increasingly sophisticated strains of viruses and other intrusions that are capable of doing more damage and propagating in more diverse ways.
They issued cautions about the continued effectiveness of social engineering techniques that enable malicious code to spread globally within hours. To keep information and infrastructure safe and secure over the next year, CA is recommending that computer users take several basic precautions: install personal protection software, always update antivirus software, use caution with email, update operating systems and applications, stay informed about the latest threats and use common sense on the Web
Computer Associates Middle East (CA-ME), dealing in eBusiness management software, employs more than 50 persons across the region, and maintains offices in Bahrain, Kuwait, Khobar, Jeddah, and regional headquarters in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Founded in 1976, CA serves organizations in more than 100 countries. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
