As reported by Computerworld, PC users didn’t think they were more secure in 2006. Online attacks have become more sophisticated, and there are more money-hungry cybercriminals than ever. Microsoft patched more bugs in ’06 than any previous year, new classes of attacks were discovered, vendor security complaints have risen, and, oh yes, spam is back.

Here are the top five security stories of 2006:

• Phishing complaints increased by 34% over 2005, where fake web pages collect log-in details, credit card numbers and personal info for financial gain. Protect from phishing with PC-Cillin Internet Security.
• Spam is still here. Spammers have new ways to get around security software, and in 2006, up to 90% of all e-mail was spam. Protect from spam with Norton AntiSpam.
• A top concern in 2006 was zero-day attacks, in which attackers focus on previously unreported flaws in software and the automatic security updates that have now become commonplace.
• Cross-site scripting attacks have become more prevalent this year, like the kind used on MySpace.com, which was hit by a password-stealing worm that exploited a scripting vulnerability. Such hacks can force PCs to download illegal content, hack other websites or even send e-mail.
• As reported in the October issue of the SoftwareMedia Tribune, Microsoft shook up security vendors when Vista locked out security vendors from the Windows kernel, the primary way that security software products gain access to detect and block rootkits, keystroke-logging software, and worms. As a follow up to that story, Microsoft has agreed to make APIs available, though they won’t be ready until the Service Pack 1 release of Vista.