F-Secure, the anti-virus and security company, has a great post in its blog explaining why there are so many variants of malicious software (malware) out there.

They provide the example (with screen shots) of a Chinese kit to build variants of the Hupigon trojan. The kit allows the user to pick what kind of file to infect, what to name, what kind of nefarious functionality, etc., etc. It comes in a nice Windows interface. And for those would-be hackers who don’t have the time to go through every choice, there’s a fast configuration option.

Really good, targeted, malware still requires expertise to develop and cunning to deploy. However, the growth of kits such as this (and this is not limited to China, it’s an internet-wide phenomena) explains the rise in malware activity and presents a challenge to internet security in the future.

When developing and distributing malware reaches the point where it’s simple enough for the marginally savvy computer user, there’s going to be hell to pay. Disgruntled employees, personal vendettas, and sheer bloody-mindedness will provide ample motive for do-it-yourself retribution or skulduggery via the internet.

All this puts the personal in security.

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