The Annual Global Threat Report, published by ScanSafe, found that groups in these fields are twice as likely to be the target of cybercriminals than those in other industries.
According to the study, energy companies have a 356 per cent greater rate of encounters with data theft trojans, while this stands at 322 per cent of pharmaceutical groups, 252 per cent for government and 204 per cent for finance firms.
Mary Landesman, senior security researcher at ScanSafe, said: 'There is a misconception that cybercriminals are only intent on stealing data intended for credit card fraud and identity theft. In reality, cybercriminals are casting a much wider net.'
The report also showed that the amount of malware being encountered by firms is growing, with the average number of encounter rising from eight a day at the start of 2009 to 19 by the end.
Earlier this month, Sunbelt Software revealed that Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT, the generic detection for trojans, was the most common e-threat faced by firms in January.
According to the study, energy companies have a 356 per cent greater rate of encounters with data theft trojans, while this stands at 322 per cent of pharmaceutical groups, 252 per cent for government and 204 per cent for finance firms.
Mary Landesman, senior security researcher at ScanSafe, said: 'There is a misconception that cybercriminals are only intent on stealing data intended for credit card fraud and identity theft. In reality, cybercriminals are casting a much wider net.'
The report also showed that the amount of malware being encountered by firms is growing, with the average number of encounter rising from eight a day at the start of 2009 to 19 by the end.
Earlier this month, Sunbelt Software revealed that Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT, the generic detection for trojans, was the most common e-threat faced by firms in January.
