PHL has world's 9th highest malware infection rate —report

Published March 9, 2012 9:48am

The Philippines has made it to yet another international Top Ten list —this time of countries with the highest rates of computers infected by malware, according to a Norway-based computer security firm.

In a blog post dated March 6, computer security firm Norman said the Philippines ranked ninth on the list topped by Albania, South Korea and Guatemala.

"(Travelers) should beware: there are 13 countries in which you’re more likely to use a computer with malware (over 50% infected) than not: South Korea, Guatemala, Vietnam, Indonesia, Argentina, Thailand, Georgia, the Philippines, Algeria, Venezuela, Lithuania and Pakistan," it said.

Norman's blog listed the top 10 countries with the highest infection rates as:

Albania
South Korea
Guatemala
Vietnam
Indonesia
Argentina
Thailand
Georgia
Philippines
Algeria

But while it said Albania is the most infected nation with 65 percent of scanned computers reporting infections, it did not give figures for the other countries in the top 10 list.

On the other hand, Norman said its malware statistics show lower infection rates in European countries.

It said Finland has the lowest rate of infection with 24.31 percent of scanned computers containing a malware such as a virus, spyware or Trojan.

Yet, it said this is a "shocking" finding: "Even in the best-protected country, a quarter of computers are infected?!" it said.

Norman's Top 10 list of countries with the lowest infection rates (between 25 and 28 percent) includes:

Finland
Norway
Sweden
Puerto Rico
Denmark
Myanmar
Singapore
Sudan
Netherlands
Lebanon

"A further six European countries sit in the top 15, making it the safest continent in the world with 10 of the 15 lowest infection rates (those countries are Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, the UK, Liechtenstein and Iceland)," it added.

Norman ASA, founded in Oslo Norway in 1984, describes itself as a world leader and pioneer in proactive content security solutions and forensics malware tools.

"Millions of users rely on Norman's solutions, such as network security, endpoint protection solutions and malware analysis tools, to protect their values," the company said in its About Us page. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: philippines, malware