Virus writers are not only attacking the anti-virus industry, they're also ganging up on each other, according to this sobering report from anti-virus software outfit Kaspersky Lab.

According to the report, the big profits lie in e-banking and e-trading systems, leading to the huge increase in business malware. No surprises then that there are now more malicious programs targeting several payment systems at once. Now cyberhoologans are starting to target mobile devices, like smartphones and PDAs which makes you wonder what's going to happen with smart homes set to become a reality.

They are also quick to exploit human frailty. After Katrina, for instance, they put a message with information that was incomplete but with just enough detail to entice the reader to click a "Read More" link to get the rest. The result: malicious code downloaded to the victim machine.

The most interesting parts in the report look at their battles with the ant-virus industry, and with each other.

According to the report, cyberhooligans are tracking the activities of the anti-virus industry as closely as the anti-virus industry is tracking them. With some estimates putting the profits from cybercrime higher than earnings from the anti-virus industry, cyberhoods are now out trying to stop anything that gets in their way, subverting just about every stage in anti-virus update development.

With the stakes so high and more getting in on the act, they are also now running gang wars against each other.

Although Governments are starting to crack down on the problem, they are hindered by globalisation. Like any good business, cybercriminals can be truly global and of course, lots of governments struggle with globalisation.

"It is increasingly common for criminals to live in one country and commit their crimes in another...The number of successful attacks against government (and other) cyber resources is increasing much more rapidly than the rate at which governments react."

With secure systems absolutely crucial in the new compliance regime, the information here is worth checking out.