Password-stealing malware skyrocketing

The use of password-stealing trojans has jumped some 400 per cent in the past year, according to a recent report from McAfee.

The security firm said that in 2008, nearly 400,000 variants on trojans designed to log keystrokes and record passwords were found. By comparison, fewer than 100,000 such samples were detected in 2007.

Not only is the malware becoming more numerous but, according to McAfee, data-stealing techniques have also become more sophisticated. The company noted that many malware programs now attempt to disable security software and access data directly from system files. Additionally, the transmission of the stolen data has become more secure and the destinations harder to track.