Nearly two million PCs worldwide have been infiltrated by a group of hackers - including some owned by the UK and US governments, a security firm reports.
An IT security company has found a network of 1.9 million PCs which have been infected with malware.
Finjan revealed that consumer, corporate and even government computers throughout the world have been hit by the hackers. Computers in the USA account for almost half of the infected PCs, with the UK the second worst-hit country, on six percent.
The hackers have installed malware on the machines, which allows them to take control of the computers. They can read emails, copy files, send spam, record keystrokes and even take screenshots.
All of the infected computers use the Windows XP operating system, but the malware has been found to be using a range of internet browsers. Yval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer of Finjan, said that cybercriminals are increasingly looking for better ways to hack into computers.
"The sophistication of the malware and the staggering amount of infected computers proves that cybergangs are raising the bar," he said. "As big money drives today's cybercrime activities, organisations and corporations need to protect their valuable data to prevent theft by these kinds of sophisticated cyberattacks."
Finjan said that it had informed the UK and US authorities about the problem. The firm has also contacted private businesses and government organisations which have been compromised by the hackers.
