In a recent report run by the Daily Telegraph, it suggests that cybercriminals are focusing more and more on PC security vulnerabilities to target the credit cards and bank details of unsuspecting users across the globe.  These organised crime syndicates have developed "toolkits" which methodically infect computers, so that over time, the contents of your bank account or credit card account can be harvested and sold.

Cybercrime is nothing new.  Ever since the Internet began consumers have been worried about the possibility of attack on their systems, however, alarmingly, the majority of people still have a rather casual attitude when it comes to security, one of "that wouldn't happen to me, it's always someone else".  Some consumers think that they are slightly better protected as they have some form of antivirus in place, unfortunately, they ignore updates and don't run regular scans.

In a recent survey by AVG, 165 internet domains were found to have attacked 12 million visitors over 2 months.. TWO MONTHS, 12 MILLION...As a result over 1.2 MILLION computers were infected. That's alot of cash.  And it could be some of yours.

So what steps can you take to help to stop this from happening to you?

• Update your browser!  The survey in question found that the majority of software toolkits were targeting out of date Internet browsers.  Internet Explorer 6 accounted for one-third of the attacks.  Apple's Safari allowed only 2.8% of the machines using it to be infected.  The survey also found that adobe acrobat and sun javascript accounted for a number of attacks.
• Install Antivirus and Antispam solutions onto your computer - and most importantly, KEEP THEM UP TO DATE.  Simply having the software on the computer and thinking it will update itself is not good enough.  With each new antivirus or antispyware software solution that enters the market, criminals and hackers find a way to circumnavigate or disable it, once this happens, it then requires an update or a newer version to keep them out.  Make sure that you update and run regular scans.
• If you use USB flash drives or External Drives, scan those too!  If you connect a usb stick to your machine that has come from another source - how do you know that the source in question hasn't already been infected?  Run a full scan on any device that you insert into your machine before you use it.

It is without question, that the Internet is one of the most useful technical advances available to us today, however, like most things in life, there are those that seek to use it to their advantage in an illegal and unlawful way.  That doesn't mean that you should avoid it, neither should you be scared to use it, far from it - just make sure that you are aware of the dangers and protect yourself when online.