A new report by Webroot Software has found that <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2108963,00.asp?kc=EWEWEMNL032807EP36D">more than 40 percent of companies surveyed</A> had been hit with malware that disrupted their business.

Webroot's State of Internet Security report details the cost and legal implications to businesses of malware threats. Using the company's Phileas automated spyware research system, Webroot researchers discovered that 4.2 million of 250 million URLs around the world harbor malware. Almost 3 million of those malicious sites were discovered in 2006 alone, company officials reported.