Microsoft Corp. today released the fifth volume of its Microsoft Security Intelligence Report at Tech•Ed EMEA IT Professionals 2008, providing an in-depth and unique view of the threat landscape based on data derived from hundreds of millions of computers worldwide. Designed to help enable better protection from cybercriminals, the research from the first half of 2008 shows that while Microsoft and others in the industry have made significant progress toward helping protect customers from malicious threats online, threats to businesses and consumers still continue to evolve.

More specifically, the report shows that the total amount of malware and potentially unwanted software removed from computers worldwide grew over 43 percent during the first half of 2008. The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report also reveals a continued rise in both trojan downloaders and high-severity vulnerabilities, proving that financial gain remains attackers’ top motivation. In addition, Microsoft’s research illustrates how attacks are continuing to move into the application layer and away from the operating system, as more than 90 percent of vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2008 affected applications, while only 10 percent affected operating systems.