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Virus top 10: It's a Netsky/Bagle whitewash
Others bow down before the all-conquering malware

By Jo Best

Published: Thursday 01 April 2004

As most users' distended inboxes will testify, March was the month of malware - with new variants of Netsky and Bagle appearing with greater regularity than the output of a small child that's overdosed on prunes.

According to statistics on most-reported malware from antivirus company Sophos, nine out of 10 of the worst pieces of malware in March were new arrivals and all of them were either Netsky or Bagle varients.

Only old-timer and SCO foe MyDoom.A hung on from last month's chart.

The two malware merchants behind the uber-virus duet have been at each other's throats, trading insults hidden in their code. The crown goes to Netsky, though, who has five in the top ten and takes the top spot. It's been a close race, however, and the virus chart even sees the duo tie for fourth place.

Graham Cluley, Sophos' senior technology consultant, said that he doesn't expect an end to the duel in the near future. "There's no sign yet that we've seen the last of Bagle and Netsky… It's quite depressing to come back from holiday to find more variants of the Bagle and Netsky worms have continued to be released," he said.

March's virus chart in full:

1. Netsky.D 30.2 per cent

2. Netsky.B 12.3 per cent

3. Netsky.C 11.7 per cent

4= Bagle.C 3.5 per cent

4= Netsky.J 3.5 per cent

5. Bagle.E 3.4 per cent

6. Netsky.P 2.1 per cent

7. Bagle.H 1.5 per cent

8. Bagle.J 1.4 per cent

9. MyDoom.A 0.9 per cent

Others 29.5 per cent