Google: Hacked sites far worse than attack sites

Web sites you think are safe but have been compromised to distribute malicious software are far more prevalent than sites that are intentionally dangerous, according to a new Transparency Report from Google released on Tuesday.

The new Safe Browsing section of the report reveals some of the security trends that Google has been seeing. While Google reiterated that its Safe Browsing program flags up to 10,000 sites a day, the report showed that hacked sites remain a major problem -- with about 60 percent hosting malware and 40 percent being used for phishing attacks.

Dedicated attack sites numbered in the hundreds until late 2009, when they began to increase. They crested at the end of last year above 6,000, but that number has since dropped. As of June 9, 2013, Google reports the number of these malicious sites at 3,891.