Internet threats rise by two-thirds in April

Hackers are increasingly using phishing emails to compromise users

The number of web-based threats soared by nearly two-thirds in April, according to new figures from managed security vendor Network Box.

The firm said that the 63 per cent rise in internet threats was due in large part to phishing attacks, which represented one in four of the threats.

Simon Heron, internet security analyst at Network Box, warned that users should be on high alert. "The level of malware has leapt up this spring, and we expect to see a high level of attacks continue," he said.

"A poor economy always leads to higher levels of malware aimed at scamming money from victims. Huge increases in social media use, with platforms that are not built primarily with security in mind, also open the door to hackers."

Most viruses were tracked down to two countries, according to the research, the US accounting for 14.99 per cent and Korea 7.78 per cent. Australia just pipped China to third place with a 5.89 per cent share.

The US and Korea swapped places in terms of top sources of intrusions, however. Korea ranked first with 35.46 per cent and the US had a 10.6 per cent share.