The latest Internet Security Threat Report released by Symantec reveals that the current Internet threat environment is characterised by an increase in data theft, data leakage, and the creation of targeted, malicious code for the purpose of stealing confidential information that can be used for financial gain. Cyber criminals continue to refine their attack methods to support the ongoing growth of criminal activity.

The report mentions more than 6 million distinct bot-infected computers worldwide during the second half of 2006, representing a 29% increase from the previous period. Trojans constituted 45% of the top 50 malicious code samples, representing a 23% increase over the first six months of 2006.

The report reveals that Underground Economy Servers are being used by criminals and criminal organisations to sell stolen information, including government-issued identity numbers, credit cards, bank cards and personal identification numbers (PINs), user accounts, and e-mail address lists.

Symantec observed high levels of coordinated attacks combining spam, malicious code, and online fraud. During the second half of 2006, spam made up 59% of all monitored e-mail traffic marking a steady increase over the first six months of 2006.

The report also notes that a total of 166,248 unique phishing messages were detected over the second half of 2006, an average of 904 per day, marking a 6% increase over the first six months of 2006.