So-called trusted sites are now the main target of hackers, rather than banks or other more obvious target, a new survey has found.

According to the Internet Security Threat Report produced by Symantec, criminals are now corrupting general websites rather than online payment services in the hope of presenting a wider ranging IT security threat, reports ITPro.co.uk.

The study found that the number of site-specific vulnerabilities increased to 11,000 in the last half of 2007, compared to around 7,000 in the first half of that year.

Speaking to the website, Richard Archdeacon, senior director at the firm, said: "Businesses who are dependent on websites are going to have to be very cautious on how secure they are because the sites are now becoming more and more a focus of attack."

Last week, Gareth Elliot, Policy Adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce, called on the government to do more to help firms battle IT security threats.

According to a 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) In a recent survey of SMEs for Connect, the two most important benefits of outsourcing were 'guaranteed response times' and 'allowing in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic issues'