Anti-malware firm PandaLabs, has released new information from its 2012 security report, which suggests that just under a third of the world's computers are infected with some sort of malware. It's also been reported that there are 27 million new strains of infective software out there that weren't present before 2012.

I suspect a lot of KitGuru's readers are their family and friends' “computer guy,” the one that fixes any weird issued that they might have. Install a replacement for a shot graphics card, or cleans out the dust from an overheating CPU cooler. With that in mind, I'm sure you've all fixed something by just running a quick anti-malware scan, so I doubt I'm the only one unsurprised by PandaLabs findings.

The problem, according to PandaLabs, is the growth of infection via social networks. Like instant messenger scams before them, Facebook and similar have now become the breeding ground of new trojans and viruses. A friend's hijacked account or an unknown acquaintance may suggest you “click here, check it out,” with some shortened URL. If you're wondering, it's never a good idea.

The biggest infections in 2012 were Trojans according to the report, with a 76.5 per cent stake. In comparison, the age old virus was in a very distant second, with just eight per cent of the global malware stake.

Fortunately the UK wasn't in the top ten most effected countries. China topped the list, followed by South Korea and Taiwan. Where did the UK come then? Impressively, fourth, on the table of least infections in the world. The only countries that beat us were Sweden, Switzerland and Norway.

KitGuru Says: KitGuru salures you “computer guys,” keep up the good work.

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