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Cybercriminals are 'licensing malware'

Cybercriminals are starting to pass their malware onto third parties in order to boost the number of computers they can infect, it has been claimed.

According to network equipment manufacturer Cisco, the practice is part of a wider trend in which malware creators use tried and tested business models to profit from their efforts.

Cisco pointed to a partnership between Conficker and Waledac malware – which is believed to be the first of its kind. The latter using the former to spread its own malicious code.

Cybercriminals are also outsourcing quality assurance services, where they will test the effectiveness of viruses, Trojans and malware against up to 26 up-to-date anti-virus products.

Patrick Peterson, Cisco fellow and chief security research, said: "These criminals are also demonstrating some strong business acumen. They are collaborating with each other, preying on individuals' greatest fears and interests, and increasingly making use of legitimate Internet tools like search engines and the software-as-a-service model."

PC World recently claimed that an increasing number of cybercriminals are working together to create huge botnets.

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