A new report from IT security company Symantec suggests that high-tech internet crime is a major commercial enterprise worth billions of pounds.

In the first six months of this year Symantec identified more than 212,000 new threats, representing a 185 per cent increase on the previous six-month period.

The shady world of cyber-crime is becoming increasingly well organised, wit bank account details and sensitive company details being sold at certain marketplaces.

"We're seeing a definite shift in terms of commercialisation," Symantec's European director of security practice told BBC News. "It's being used by organised crime and it's being used to launch their attacks."

He went on: "Attention has gone away from the larger banks down to credit unions and small banks that do not have the people and resources to fight off the attacks."

Meanwhile chip maker Intel found that many companies are struggling to keep their corporate IT systems adequately secure because of tight budgets.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)