The Leading Malware Hosting Nation Might Actually Surprise You

It's not China or Russia; managed security service provider (MSSP) Solutionary is reporting that the United States is actually the leading malware hosting nation with 44 percent of all malware hosted domestically.

According to its Security Engineering Research Team (SERT) Quarterly Threat Intelligence Report for Q4 2013, Solutionary indicates that the U.S. hosts approximately 5 times more malware than the second-leading malware-hosting nation, Germany, which is responsible for 9 percent of the detected malware.

SERT also discovered that malware distributors are quickly adopting cloud computing, either by buying services from vendors including Amazon and GoDaddy or by compromising legitimate domains. The cloud is appealing because it enables malware distributors to bypass geographic blacklisting.  

“The information in this report will show our readers how widespread the malware problem truly is and how close it hits to home. We aren’t just talking about foreign espionage campaigns, APTs and breaches; many of these malicious activities are taking place within U.S. borders,” said Solutionary SERT Director of Research Rob Kraus. 

“Malware and, more specifically, its distributors are utilizing the technologies and services that make processes, application deployment and website creation easier.  Now we have to maintain our focus not only on the most dangerous parts of the Web but also on the parts we expect to be more trustworthy.”