With security vulnerabilities doubling in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) this year, McAfee expects a 50 per cent increase in VoIP-related threats in 2008. The technology is still new and defence strategies lagging.

Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs and product development, said, "Threats are moving to the web and newer technologies such as VoIP and instant messaging. Professional and organised criminals drive a lot of the malicious activity. As they become increasingly sophisticated, it is more important than ever to be aware and secure when traversing the web."

The report points out that web 2.0 applications such as software-as-a-service, social networking sites and job sites  represent a new trend in online attacks.

Attackers are using Web 2.0 sites as a way to distribute malware and are data mining the web, looking for information that people share, to give their attacks more authenticity.

Attack through instant messaging is another threat that is on the horizon.

"The scenario of a "flash" worm via instant messaging applications has been foreshadowing for years. This threat could spawn millions of users and the globe in a matter of seconds. There has been malware that spreads via IM, but we are yet to see such a self-executing threat," said the report. Instant messaging applications more than doubled in 2007, compared with 2006.

At the same time, ad-serving software known as adware is expected to decrease.

Virtual economies are also being gripped by security threats as the number of password-stealing Trojans targeting online games in 2007 grew faster than those targeting banks.