Children are the latest target for writers of computer viruses - seen as an easy 'way in' to their parents PCs.
Hackers are targeting children with sites that install malicious software on PCs, disguised as innocent-looking cartoon gaming websites.
But the sites quietly load programs onto the PCs which lurk in the background, which can steal information from adults, long after the children have logged off.
Youngsters are seen as easy targets, because they will not stop and think before clicking on a link, whereas adults tend to be slightly more cautious.
Children are targeted using sites that offer free games - with one, CuteArcade.com reportedly infecting 12,600 computers, according to Czech security firm Avast virus lab.
Others such as HiddenNinjaGames.com also pose a risk, says the security firm.
'Games like these require clicking and children don’t think much about what they are clicking on,' said Ondrej Vlcek, CTO of AVAST Software. 'This makes them – or their parents’ computer – quite susceptible to malicous software.'
The 'driveby downloads' infect the computer with trojan software that direct the PC towards sites which infect it with further malicious software.Within the last month, the security firm identified 60 sites with the word 'Game' or 'Arcade' in the title which were infected with malicious software - either through the sites themselves, or infected adverts.
The way children browse the web - impulsively hopping between different sites - makes them easy targets, says Avast.
'If there is something dangerous, a child will find it,' said Mr. Vlcek.
Most of the infected sites seem legitimate, although some may have been created specifically to distribute malware.
There is no way to visually spot the danger.
As ever, the solution is to ensure you are using an up-to-date browser and have security features such as warnings activated.
Antivirus programs such as Norton can be set up to give warnings that a site may be infected, or even that individual adverts may pose a risk.
'At a minimum, people need an antivirus program that looks for various kinds of malware and scans websites for infections,' stated Mr. Vlcek.
