Fergie's Tech Blog

Five ISPs Hosting One-Third of All Malware?

Via StopBadware.org.

StopBadware.org [...] today released comprehensive data detailing the five companies that host the largest number of websites listed in its Badware Website Clearinghouse. These five companies combined host a large number of websites that have been identified as distributing malicious software to Internet users.

This announcement is the latest in a series of reports and analyses released by Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Oxford University's Oxford Internet Institute as a part of an ongoing effort to battle "badware" - malicious applications such as malware, spyware, or deceptive adware that fundamentally disregard the choices Internet users make about their own computers.

"Badware used to be something that you downloaded onto your computer," said John Palfrey, co-director of StopBadware.org and Executive Director of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. "Today, badware can infect your computer when you just visit a website. This list of web hosting companies, pulled from our database of sites that are infected with badware, shows some companies that host a large number of sites that may suffer from unaddressed security issues. These security flaws mean that webmasters who use these hosting services may be more at risk of their sites being hacked."

posted by Fergie @ 5/09/2007 10:02:00 AM