With the phenomenal growth of ecommerce and online banking, browser security is now a bigger issue than ever, and phenomena such as phishing and malware are now becoming commonplace. What was considered good security in 2000 is now totally inadequate due to the constant game of cat and mouse played out between malware writers and browser developers.

Thankfully all the main browsers now offer phishing alerts that tell you when you try to visit a compromised website. The databases used are constantly updated and a high level of security is offered. Some browsers, such as Firefox 3, also now come with inbuilt virus checking for downloaded files, a trend the other browsers seem likely to follow.

Even so, a 2007 study showed that 20 per cent of UK pes scanned with Nanoscan exhibited signs of either active, inactive or latent malware infections. This means it's still very important to ensure you have both a solid virus checker and an up-to-date malware and spyware remover, on top of whatever security your browser offers, and many commercial products are available, as well as the following freeware offerings:
AVG Anti-Virus Free.