There were more than 286 million new malware threats last year and the number of measured web-based attacks per day increased by 93pc compared to 2009, according to Symantec's annual Norton Internet Security Threat Report.



From SiliconRepublic:

While the headline figure of 286 million new threats in 2010 is an arresting number, it’s a function of the widespread availability of attack toolkits that cybercriminals can exploit without needing to be technically proficient, said Con Mallon, Symantec’s director of regional product marketing.

Toolkits like Phoenix are increasingly aimed at vulnerabilities in the Java programming language, which accounted for 17pc of all flaws affecting browser plug-ins, Symantec found. Java is an attractive target for attackers because it works across different browser types and operating systems.

  Malware takes massive jump as criminals exploit toolkits