For a glimpse into the future of internet insecurity, take a look at a nasty little piece of software known as Troj/BankAsh-A.

It is designed to be secretly downloaded to a person's computer, where it will lie in wait until a user tries to connect to one of several banking websites. The "Trojan horse" software then springs into action, hijacking the computer's web browser and displaying a fake log-on page. Barclays and Bank of Scotland are two of several banks targeted by Troj/BankAsh-A, according to security software firms.