Computer viruses miss 'easy targets'

Computers are less susceptible to viruses and other threats than many users might think, according to a consumer watchdog.

A study by Which? Computing found that not one of five computers connected to the internet for four weeks became infected, despite figures suggesting an estimated 60,000 new malware threats occurred daily.

Each machine was used to visit a list of 22 "reputable" websites, ranging from Amazon.com to Tesco.com, for an hour a day. The consumer group said it did not overload the PCs with security software, describing one as such an easy target "it was practically saying come and get me".

A Which? survey of 1,042 adults in October found 57 per cent worried about online threats.