THERE has been a startling rise in the number of computer viruses designed to steal personal information like bank account numbers and credit card data, according to a new study by software giant Microsoft.

Attacks by malicious programmes - which include often invisible threats like worms and trojan horses - jumped over 40 per cent in the first half of this year, according to the report, released earlier this month.

Many of the viruses are designed to mine personal computers for data from your home address to your online banking password. Others can take over your computer, which hackers then use to carry out other attacks, shielding their identities from law enforcement agencies.

Personal information can be worth a small fortune on the underground economy; hackers bought and sold US$276 million (S$418 million) worth of such data from July 2007 to June this year, according to a report released on Monday by security company Symantec.

The attacks are getting more serious and more numerous as the hacker profile moves away from the pimply teenager seeking online fame, to organised crime syndicates looking for new revenue streams, experts said.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.