One third of EU surfers hit by malware

Around a third of European internet users picked up a virus or other computer-related infection in 2010, according to the latest statistics from the EU released ahead of Safer Internet Day on 8 February.

The figures place UK users at the EU average, with 31 per cent having suffered a virus leading to loss of information or time.

However, more worryingly, the figures come despite 84 per cent of European internet users employing some form of security software to protect their machine.

Some four per cent reported that they suffered from an abuse of personal information sent on the internet and/or other privacy violations.

Three per cent on average had suffered financial loss owing to phishing or pharming attacks or fraudulent payment card use, and the UK was among the worst hit with seven per cent falling victim.

The figures come just days after foreign secretary William Hague revealed that even government computers are susceptible to concerted cyber attacks.

Hague told delegates at the Munich Security Conference last week that an email purporting to be from the White House was sent to a number of recipients who were directed to click on a link that downloaded a variant of Zeus.

Meanwhile, phishing continues to be a major problem in the UK. HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) was forced on Friday to warn taxpayers not to fall for a new round of phishing emails designed to harvest bank account details.

The scam emails inform the recipient that they are due a tax rebate, and provide a click-through link to a replica of the HMRC site.