Security is often overlooked in software development in favour of performance and this must change to prevent hacking, according to industry experts.

Technology news website ITPro reports that the open nature of today's online business weakens perimeter security such as firewalls and leaves businesses open to hacking.

According to IT Pro, Gartner senior analyst John Pescatore has said that the biggest single step for businesses to reduce risk today is to force major improvements in poorly designed and insecure software and applications.

Mr Pescatore added: "Security is a low priority in software development compared to functionality, quality and performance and most business managers are unaware of the security risks of deploying dangerously exposed software."

Elsewhere, internet security company F-secure has predicted that the total number of viruses and Trojans will reach a million by the end of the year as malware authors increasingly use spam emails with attachments to target companies and private PC users.

© Adfero Ltd