As the public gains greater access to sophisticated Web services allowing non-technical people to start up very complex Web sites, hackers increasingly identify weak points in the Web sites to find various ways to harm users, LiveScience.com reported.

"Web sites are the next battleground in the war for computer security," computer scientist Michalis Faloutsos says.

"We are in the early stages of this war, and any Web site is vulnerable," Faloutsos says.

The number of vulnerable sites is growing with the popularity of companies that offer -- often at low prices -- to host pages with simple directions and only basic technical support.

The Web site-building customers do not have the training necessary to adequately protect their pages, leaving the sites exposed to malware and infiltration, LiveScience reported.

The only way to stop the damage from Web site attacks is to start sufficiently protecting Web sites now, Faloutsos said.

"Five years from now, it will be commonplace for Web sites to have protection," he said. "This is just the beginning; this is not a problem that will just go away."
 

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