Spyware News: Oz government told to block malware

Security services provider Finjan has endorsed plans by the Australian government that will see blocks put on websites which contain illegal content.

The nationwide web filtration system will force Internet service providers (ISPs) to block thousands of sites on the world-wide web.

“The game plan is for Australian ISPs to be mandated to block access to websites containing illegal content such as child pornography or terrorist materials,” said Finjan CTO Yuval Ben-Itzhak.

Online advocacy groups in Australia have branded the $82 million ‘cyber-safety plan’ as a way of getting web censorship in through the backdoor.

Finjan, on the other hand, contends that the plans don’t go far enough.

“I would also recommend the Australian government includes in this plan actions against ISPs and other Web hosting companies that allow cybercriminals to host their command and control servers and distribute malware,” said Ben-Itzhak.

Ben-Itzhak’s argument is backed up by the success of a similar scheme in the US.

Global spam dropped by as much as 75% recently following the US government’s decision to shut down a web host which provided services to the majority of the world’s spammers.

Finjan wants to see a similar attack on malware distributors. Malware is a form of virus software that steals user’s data.

Finjan’s research and quarterly trends reports reveal that the volume and variety of malware on the Internet continues to climb steadily.