14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft revealed in its Security Intelligence Report Volume 13 that the Windows 7 malware infection rate increased by almost 182 percent this year, but the company blames less experienced users for these fairly discouraging statistics.
Among other factors, those without advanced computer skills represent one of the reasons for such a boost in the malware infection rate affecting Windows workstations, the company said.
“This may be caused in part by increasing acceptance and usage of the newest consumer version of Windows,” the company said in the official papers.
“Early adopters are often technology enthusiasts who have a higher level of technical expertise than the mainstream computing population. As the Windows 7 install base has grown, new users are likely to possess a lower degree of security awareness than the early adopters and be less aware of safe online practices.”
Windows XP users are three times more likely to get hacked than those who run Windows 7, despite a 182 percent increase in malware infections affecting this particular operating system.
As we told you yesterday, Microsoft urges Windows XP users to make the move to a newer Windows version, emphasizing that the 11 year-old platform isn’t safe anymore.
The company will launch the brand new Windows 8 on October 25, with the new OS comprising a wide range of security improvements.
“There are several factors at play here. In XP, for example, we've seen infection rates go up because of particular pieces of malware that are more effective on that platform,” Tim Rains, director of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group said about the Windows XP stats. “[And] in different places in the world, [users'] ability to keep Windows up to date varies greatly.”