Flaws in the internet's critical infrastructure may mean that cyber-attacks from those hoping to steal data or information from companies may not be repelled easily, according to one source.

Over half of respondents to a survey of 199 international security experts returned a verdict that computer networks for businesses and the world at large were still vulnerable to attack, even though regulation and legislation was improving.

"Most utility chief information officers believe that their companies will be compliant with relevant standards, but still have a long way to go before being adequately prepared for all cyber attacks," said vice-president for Energy Insights and author of the report Rick Nicholson.

Additionally, director of critical infrastructure solutions at Secure Computing Elan Winkler stressed that an attack on systems belonging to an organisation such as the government could potentially result in major environmental problems or loss of life.

In related internet news, bandwidth shortages are causing many users to pay more for their internet, with several of them facing newly-imposed bandwidth restrictions, according to InfoWorld.

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).