The managing director of an internet-based government initiative has warned businesses that they must invest in good security software to defend against the increasing threat of internet pop-ups.

Get Safe Online's Tony Neate said that the problems stem from the malware and bad code that they can carry, with the creators of the technology becoming better at replicating trustworthy sources to make their viruses potentially more damaging to businesses and individuals.

He noted that as well as being annoying, they can catch a user when they least expect it which can result in very nasty items being installed on a computer.

Mr Neate continued: "It's very difficult to recognise when it is a good pop-up and when it is a bad one.

"If you are on a site that you know really well and you are expecting it, then that's one thing."

Recent research by North Carolina State University noted that most internet users are unable to distinguish real warnings from fake ones, even after repeated mistakes.

A recent Connect survey found that the two major concerns about outsourcing services like IT support were 'loss of control' (56 per cent) and 'budget over-runs' (43 per cent)