ScanSafe research tells us that these types of organisation are more than twice as likely to be hit by malware attacks than other companies and individual people. ScanSafe senior security researcher, Mary Landesman, said; “There is a misconception that cyber-criminals are only intent on stealing data intended for credit card fraud and identity theft. In reality, cyber-criminals are casting a much wider net”.

The report also shows that hackers are aiming to seek out the organisations that hold the most valuable intellectual property. ScanSafe's Landesman commented, “Consumer credit card details are child’s play compared to the value of infrastructure and intellectual data from these sensitive verticals. The message is clear – cyberwar is already here. The web is the battlefield and the enterprise is on the frontlines.”

The findings also suggest web-delivered malware more than doubled in 2009. The average rate of attack on enterprise has risen from 8 encounters per day to 19.

ScanSafe's Landesman believes that users should increase protection in order to minimise malware threats. She said, “Our defenses must extend beyond the confines of brick and mortar and into the cloud to ensure end-to-end protection of our most sensitive assets and people, regardless of operating system, device or geo-locale.”