Nearly 33% of websites are infected with downloadable malware, after infection rates almost doubled in the past year, according to research from the Sans Institute.

Users' confidence in online security is waning, leading small and medium sized companies to lose business, it said The security training organisation last week published its annual list of the top 20 cyber security threats. Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer at Webroot, one of the firms that contributed to the study, said, "Since January 2007, Webroot has seen a 183% increase in websites that harbour spyware. Infection rates for spyware and Trojans that steal keystrokes are currently at 31% and growing rapidly.

"In a survey of small and medium enterprises we conducted in September, 77% said their success depends on the internet, and 47.2% reported lost sales due to spyware."

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