University of Australia Says New malware can disable antivirus software

A new brand of malware may be able to disarm a user's antivirus program, according to researchers from Edith Cowan University in Australia.

The new malware may also be able to take down government computer systems, rendering them defenseless against foreign attacks. Computers may fall short of the ability to take on this brand of malware until updates are made.

Murray Brand, senior lecturer at the university, said antivirus programs are now matching the pace of increasing malware programs, which have been estimated at 75 million by the end of the year. He said by using this virus, cyber criminals could build a botnet of infected computers and assault defenseless computers. If antivirus software doesn't have the type of malware updated, it may have a difficult time stopping the infection.

"Recognition of malware is dependent upon an analyst having already analyzed the behavior of the malware and extracted an identifying signature," Brand says.

Users need to take internet security precautions and use common sense to make sure they avoid dangerous malware. Researchers will work quickly to resolve this, so people should make sure they take proper steps to protect themselves in the meantime.