Middle East continues to see dramatic rise in infected computers

Trend Micro, a global leader in Internet content security, has warned that 2011 has already witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of infected PCs in the Middle East, because businesses and individuals are still failing to take adequate security precautions.

Trend Micro’s Smart Protection Network technology can see how many computers are active on the internet and the number of infected computers across the Middle East is on the rise. In 2010, there were more than 3,050,032 infected machines that Trend Micro saw as active across the region - a 44 percent rise from 2009. This year, already, the region has seen more than 674,938 compromised machines.

“The visible infections in the region continue to grow year-on-year. As we become more dependent on the web, threats will only increase. We must educate ourselves and be better protected, because the consequences are more than what individuals and businesses can afford,” commented Chris Moore, General Manager, Middle East, Africa and Med.

“The region is one of the fastest growing in the world and this attracts cyber criminals who are looking to exploit any weakness in our security,” added Moore.

In 2010 there were more than 2,292,214 compromised machines across the GCC - a 46 percent rise from 2009. So far in 2011, across the GCC, there are 436,088 compromised machines.

Saudi Arabia accounts for the most number of infected machines. Compromised machines numbered 1,363,815 in 2010 - a 31 percent increase from 2009. So far in 2011 the Kingdom has 294,477 compromised machines.

In the UAE, there were 500,715 compromised machines in 2010, a rise of 140 percent compared to 2009. This year alone the UAE there are more than 36,316 compromised machines.

Kuwait accounted for 10 percent of all infected machines in the GCC in 2010, Qatar accounted for 3.5 percent, Oman 3 percent and Bahrain was the least, with 1.2 percent.  

“The numbers for the region are very alarming.  Protecting ourselves on the internet is not complex. We just need to use professional security software that can also block threats, regular scanning and exercise personal caution,” added Nick Black, Technical Manager, Med, Middle East and Africa.

“Trend Micro’s House Call is an easy way to check for viruses, and above all it’s free. Working on a compromised machine is a security risk for the individual and for businesses,” added Black.

House Call is an application for checking whether your computer has been infected by viruses, spyware, or other malware. House Call also performs additional security checks to identify and fix vulnerabilities to prevent re-infections.