The problem is that Windows XP still accounts for nearly three-fourths of the operating system market. Windows 7 has been a huge success, and that success will continue throughout 2010, but not all regions of the world are likely to adopt the latest and greatest flagship PC operating system from Microsoft at the same rate and that will leave some regions more vulnerable than others.

Malware developers and cyber criminals are a lazy bunch and tend to take the path of least resistance. Regions that lag in adopting Windows 7 and continue to rely on Windows XP will offer attackers pockets of easy targets.

The most affected regions for the Conficker worm were Brazil, China, Russia, India, and Vietnam. F-Secure chief research officer Mikko Hypponen says “It’s likely that XP attacks will still be around for a number of years…The easy target will be these ghettos.”