26/06/2008

It has been suggested that it is basic human nature rather than cunning cybercriminals that pose the greatest threat to online security.

Panda Security has commented that PC users may be susceptible to computer malware because of their 'natural human traits', Web User reports.

It has also been claimed that people, despite having an awareness of the dangers of malware, have an inability to change in certain situations.

One example given looked at users who received an email from an unknown sender and opened the attachment although they understood that it could contain a virus.

Following the development of Web 2.0, it was predicted that the level of danger for 'unprepared' people would increase as they came into contact with more sophisticated technologies and levels of interaction.

Panda's Dominic Hoskins said: 'Malware today is no longer about causing an infection that could crash a PC, these days it's about gaining access to bank account details and private personal data.'

In related news, Channel Register has reported that in recent weeks a 'serious vulnerability' has been discovered in the Mac OS X, as have 'at least two' Trojan horse programmes that target the Apple OS.