Although the number of large viral epidemics have seemingly disappeared, the number of internet threats continuing to circulate throughout October was significant, according to PandaLabs.

The security vendor's analysis found that Sdbot.ftp was the most frequently detected malware during the month.

Sdbot worms exploit vulnerabilities in Windows, such as RPC-DCOM and LSASS. The fact that this code still tops the ranking indicates just how many users are still not updating their security systems, Panda said.

Following Sdbot.ftp and two places higher than last month is the Torpig.A Trojan which, although seemingly inoffensive, is capable of capturing certain information entered or saved by the user, such as passwords.

Panda said that the appearance of Abwiz.A in third place is also worrying as this Trojan can be used to steal passwords stored on the system and has a built-in system for hiding itself on computers.

Veteran malware Netsky.P is in fourth place, while the Puce.E.worm, which was in the eighth position last month, has crept up to fifth place.

Puce.E.worm is particularly nasty as it prevents programs from accessing the websites of several security companies and redirects attempts to access certain banks' web pages to imitation pages in order to capture user log-in information.

Luis Corrons, director of PandaLabs, warned that the coming months are likely to feature more of the same.

"We will shortly be entering the Christmas shopping period and any users infected by these Trojans could find the confidentiality of their bank details or credit card numbers seriously compromised," he said.

"To avoid these problems, users should ensure that their antivirus solution is constantly up to date, and not relying exclusively on reactive protection, but on security-based and preventive solutions."