UK websites hosting more malware

An increasing proportion of web malware is found on UK websites.

According to a threat report from web security firm Sophos, in August 2007, the UK was the seventh worst offender in the list of countries hosting infected web pages, accounting for 0.8%. By April 2008, the figure stood at 1.1%, and by November 2008, it was 1.7%.

Sophos' threat report revealed that more malware is hosted on websites in the US than any other country.

"While the UK is clearly not the worst offender, the fact that it is responsible for an increasing percentage of infected sites is worrying news," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"With web threats still on the rise, not only must website owners take a proactive approach to securing their sites, but all users browsing the internet should also take steps to protect themselves."