Some 600 million internet users are surfing the net using vulnerable web browsers, according to new research.

A study conducted by IBM and Google has highlighted that people are putting themselves at risk by using outdated versions of their particular browser, which are high risk as they are vulnerable to popular download attacks, reports online resource ITPro.

The report, Understanding the Browser Threat, revealed that 45.2 per cent of web users do not regularly update their browsers, while 59.1 per cent had installed the most recent major version of the browser.

Internet Explorer users are among the vulnerable users, as only 52.5 per cent are using the most secure version compared to 92.2 per cent of Firefox fans.

Commenting on the study, Gunter Ollman, director of security strategy for IBM Internet Security Systems, told the news provider that some users may be struggling as the latest versions of browsers are not compatible with their computers.

According to Computer World report, following the launch of its new 3.0 Firefox browser, Mozilla is looking to fast-track it's 3.1 update to be ready by the end of the year.

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'