Browsing the Internet is not as harmless as one thinks especially if there are viruses around just waiting for people to make a wrong move in order to get vital information like user names, passwords, credit card details, etc. to use them in illegal activities like stealing money or stealing one's identity.

It was recently reported that the FBI arrested six Estonian nationals who are members of an elaborate cyber crime group that was able to gain access for 4 million computers worldwide. The group was able to gain access through computers through using the malware named DNSChanger. The FBI further explained the operation saying that "When users of infected computers clicked on the link for the official website of iTunes, for example, they were instead taken to a website for a business unaffiliated with Apple Inc. that purported to sell Apple software."

This is just one of many cyber threats that Internet users face when they log-in through the web. Other forms of threats could include spyware, phishing scams, malware, vulnerabilities, and other misleading applications. In order to combat these Internet threats, people should be aware of how these viruses are acquired and how it should be avoided. Kindsight, a company that works with Internet providers to detect threats released a list for the top Internet threats.

Here are the top 5 in the list:

Zeus - This is also known by the name "Zbot" and it is a descendant from the threatening virus called the Trojan. This is usually disguised as an e-mail message like from LinkedIn or Facebook request that tells a warning of a financial-related concern about the recipient. Once a user clicks the link, it enables access to their personal information and activities. It exposes the user's financial information, collects passwords, record and log keystrokes. Legitimate forms could also be tampered with through adding extra fields to collect information.

Sality - This virus is a "spreadable" virus which as the name implies could spread rapidly once it has been accessed. It finds its way through a system by executable files and then proceeds to download malicious files from the Internet. This virus also attempts to block security websites or security products. It can also attach itself to removable drives and then finding another host once it has been used.

Gamevance - This virus is usually found on games and is dubbed as the "Designer Imposters of Games". This means that it recreates the original game like for Angry Birds it is Chik N' Bash or for Bejeweled it is Diamond Jewel. Once a game is downloaded in the user's software, a spyware is also downloaded in the process and has pop-ups coming out almost every time. The spyware attached to this would be able to collect information and track online activities.

Hotbar - This could be accessed through clicing on a bad ActiveX file which could lead to installing Hotbar. This could also be acquired through visiting Hotbar.com and clicking through any of the games, videos, sound clips or tools link. Hotbar spyware was thought to be eliminated when Zango was closed in 2009 due to defaults in the company's loans estimated to be around US$44 million. It turns out that Zango's assets which include Hotbar are now under Pinball and is still in existence.

FakeSysdef - The approach that this virus operates in seems non-threatening at first as it starts scanning systems and hardware issues. After scanning, it alerts the users to the potential threats and offers a fix for such issues. In actuality, these issues are non-existent and the supposed "fix" that it gives to users is false and requires payment. If the user opts not to consider the solution provided and clicks the "cancel" button, the system will restart thus unknowingly downloading the software. One way that users could be infected is through doing an image search and then being redirected to a malicious results page entry which contains that malware.

Full list for the top 20 Internet threats could be read through PCMag.com