Klez.I heads Panda ActiveScan’s Top Ten

January was the ninth month that saw the “I” variant of the Klez as the malicious code responsible for most attacks on users’ computers, according to the results compiled by Panda ActiveScan. Last month, Klez.I caused 9.4 percent of all incidents recorded, followed closely by Lentin.K (with approximately 7.3 percent).

Third place in the monthly ranking of the viruses most frequently detected by Panda Software’s free online antivirus was occupied by Trj/Pornspa.D, while in fourth and fifth place were Bugbear and Enerkaz. The other five viruses making up the ‘Top Ten’ were: Elkern.C, Lirva, Nimda, mIRC/Lirva and JS/Trojan.Seeker.

The data collected by Panda ActiveScan in January can be summarized in the following observations:

– This is now the ninth month in which Klez.I tops the list of viruses detected by Panda’s free, online antivirus solution. Since April 2002, only the appearance of Bugbear in October has encroached upon the hegemony of this ruthless virus. Another persistent infector is Elkern.C, a virus that arrives in the “I” variant of Klez and ranked in 6th place in January.

– Opaserv and its variants, which have been making an impact since October 2002, did not appear in January’s ranking.

– The appearance of four new viruses on the list: Lentin.K, Trj/Pornspa.D, Lirva and mIRC/Lirva-, which emerged between the end of December and first weeks of January and the continued presence of veteran viruses such as Nimda.