Georgia Tech reported that a troublesome piece of malware is back on the scene. Kraken, as it is known, is currently on 318,000 machines. Each machine can send up to 600,000 pieces of SPAM per day. Kraken gets on machines that are already infected with another piece of malware. The tools used to build these bot nets are for sale on the internet and the software can be modified rapidly to avoid detection. Companies simply cannot stop these threats from getting into businesses effectively. What companies can do is react to them efficiently. Monitoring the network for activity and changes is required as basic business function.
Just like any other security function a blended approach is necessary for true security. Office buildings use a combination of camera’s and guards to secure the office building. Relying on a single IT product is not enough. The malware in this story can’t be detected by software, but, if someone was monitoring the exit door they would find out in about 30 seconds what was happening and could stop it.