One in three PCs infected with malware

Whilst the overall number of PCs infected with malware has fallen, one of every three machines worldwide carries a virus.

A survey carried out by security firm Panda Labs found that 32 per cent of the users polled in 2012 had malware infected devices.

Whilst the numbers mean one in every three PC users are infected, there has been a drop in the number of device carrying forms of malware.

The same survey conducted in 2011 found 38 per cent of users’ PCs were infected with malware.

Panda Labs also identified which countries were most infected, with China topping the list at 54 per cent, with over half of the country’s population carrying forms of malware.

Other countries struggling with high numbers of infected devices include South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey and Honduras, all of which completed the list’s top five.

"It seems that cyber criminals have managed to infect more computers with Trojans this year than in previous years," said the firm in its report.

"One of the reasons for this growth is the increased use of exploit kits such as Black Hole, which are capable of exploiting multiple system vulnerabilities to infect computers automatically without user intervention."

In addition to PCs, the survey also found mobile devices to be equally at risk, as the firm identified Android as the most targeted mobile platform for mobile threats.

Android continues to struggle with malware, despite claims it has reduced the number of malicious and malware infected downloads on the platform by 40 per cent after introducing tighter download restrictions and Google Play app store screening procedures.

"Android is potentially exposed to far more security risks than its biggest competitor (iPhone and its iOS), as it allows users to get their apps from anywhere they want," the firm continued.

"However, using the official Android marketplace is no security guarantee either, as it has also been targeted by cyber crooks luring users into installing Trojans disguised as legitimate apps."