Numbers speak for themselves...

[sowhat-x]

...came across this entry today over at F-Secure's blog,it got me into thinking...
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001378.html
The numbers,in short:

End of 2006 -> 250000 malware detections
End of 2007 -> 500000 ...
12 Feb 2008 -> 560000 ...

Here's also an older entry in McAfee's blog for convenience...
http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/?p=49
Allow me to fill the rest of numbers...again,in short:

Sep 2004 -> 100000 ...
July 2006 -> 200000 ...
Aug 2007 -> 300000 ...
12 Feb 2008 -> 375000 ...

...not interested in comparing the two aformentioned products,
this would be like comparing...fruits with vegetables:in the most simplistic form of thinking,
someone could even suggest that the numbers themselves prove,
that they use completely different underlying mechanisms/heuristics and sigs counting etc.
Not gonna delve into this more,as it's something already discussed...

So,if I can call it this way...what's the moral of the story?
Nothing more or less than what the above AV researchers already presented in their blogs...
that no matter the case,statistics over time comes to the same conclusion:
malware development/spreading has been doubled in less than 2 years,
and continues to grow this way unfortunately....

[JohnC]

A lot of the increase in malware has probably come from open source malicious code. And also, Builder/Editor tools.

[sowhat-x]

I totally agree with that...
What puzzles me deeply,is what is actually the point were the "line" gets crossed...
and open source security-related code,
gets to actually give more help to malware authors than people/end-users...

And I really don't know what the answer could be...
as in reality it poses way deeper problems for the computing world...and not only.
Ie.on the one side you have countries like Germany with their recent 'anti-hacking' law,
essentially preventing freedom of speech and security research in general...
and then again,we all have to face and deal daily with the exact opposite...
massive computer infections via pre-made exploit packs,that are sold via underground commerce...