London, UK - 10 May 2004, 12:15 GMT - Although the originator of the Sasser malware has been apprehended in Germany over the weekend, the Sasser worm continues to spread across the globe having infected tens of millions of computers worldwide.

The mi2g Intelligence Unit preliminary data shows that all the Sasser variants put together have already caused between $14.8bn and $18.1bn of estimated damages worldwide as a broader connection with NetSky malware writers emerges. The last ten days have propelled Sasser to 5th rank from a fresh start in the "Top 25 Table" of most damaging malware since 1995. Only MyDoom, NetSky, SoBig and Klez precede Sasser in terms of the all time most virulent malware list. The top three malware families like Sasser were unknown prior to their outbreak in 2004. This makes 2004 a unique year, having claimed four out of five of the top slots for worst malware. This record suggests that the problem of rapid malware proliferation and colossal attendant damages is getting worse with every passing year.

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