In the UK, a new government-backed campaign is warning Internet users that they are putting themselves at risk of attack from internet criminals because they quite frankly don't understand threats to their computer. Seemingly, 83 per cent of the UK's population know nothing about protecting themselves online.

The campaign is a joint initiative between the U.K. Government, the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, part of the National Crime Squad and private sector sponsors from the worlds of technology, retail and finance, including: BT, Dell, eBay, HSBC, Lloyds TSB, Microsoft, MessageLabs, securetrading.com and Yell.com.

The Get Safe Online Report reveals the extent of public uncertainty in the UK, where the online retail economy is worth £10bn a year and 14m use online banking. In fact 42 per cent of the population relies solely on friends and family for online safety advice rather than finding expert information for themselves, the research warned.