For Sale: Your identity for 50p
Criminals are now selling personal details for around the cost of a can of coke - giving them access to credit card details, names, addresses and date of births.
The Symantec internet security threat report highlights a growing underground economy for criminals harvesting people's details online and selling them on - with 1.6 million malicious threats found in 2008.
Credit card information remains the most valued item for the criminals, with details selling from 40p to £20.
Bank account details can fetch as much as £675 whilst full identities can be bought for between 50p and £40.
Guy Bunker, chief scientist at Symantec, said: "The illegal world of internet crime is no longer perpetuated by spotty teenagers. It is attracting intelligent adults, very often, in some of the world's developing countries such as Brazil and India.
"This booming underground economy really is bucking the global recession trend.
"With over 100,000 malicious codes born every working day, it's not just the technology and code that's getting clever, it's also the approach and the strategy behind each attack."
2008 saw a massive boom in malicious code spreading throughout the internet, with the 1.6 million items identified representing 60 per cent of the 2.6 million malicious threats highlighted by Symantec over the last 27 years.
Some 63 per cent of the malicious codes targeted web applications, while 78 per cent were aimed at targeting confidential information.
The report in particular highlights the Brisv Trojan virus which has infected as many as 1.6 million computers.
The Trojan scans computers for multimedia files, such as mp2, .mp3, .wma and .wmv, and modifies them so they open a web browner and access a malicious URL - exposing victims to further threats.
The danger is spread further as people share music and media filers across the internet.
The second most common threat was the Tidserv Trojan - spread through a spammed email attachment titled 'e-card,' and then opens a back door for the delivery of additional threats.
The advice for users is to continue to ensure all software is updated when updates are offered - so closing vulnerabilities - and have up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall.
Failure to have up-to-date software could lead to a victim of online fraud not being able to claim compensation. Some banks now do offer free anti-virus software packages.
The Banking Code states customers must take "responsible care" when taking care of their details - although there have not as yet been any cases of customers being turned down for compensation for identity theft when they failed to have up-to-date virus software.
For more advice and the background to threats listen to the Symantec internet security podcast
Your identity for a can of cola
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