The amount of malware in circulation in 2010 will continue to grow as it has in 2009, according to the latest forecast from PandaLabs.

Cyber criminals will again be focusing on social engineering techniques to infect computers, particularly those targeting search engines (BlackHat SEO) and social networks, along with “drive-by- download” infections from web pages.

When it comes to social networks, there have already been many examples of worms and Trojans targeting Twitter and Facebook. Malware creators will continue to be drawn to these types of platforms since they attract millions of users.

Windows 7 will also be a target for malware developers due to the widespread market acceptance of the new operating system. In addition, since nearly every new computer comes loaded with Windows 7, criminals will be adapting malware to the new environment.

PandaLabs predicts mobile phones will not be a major target of cyber criminals because the market and platform is so diverse. The company argues the PC platform lacks diversity because 90 percent of the world’s computers run windows on Intel, meaning that any new Trojan, or worm has the potential victim pool of 90 percent of the globe’s computers.

Throughout 2009, governments around the world including the United States, the UK and Spain, have expressed concern about the potential for cyber-attacks to affect economies or critical infrastructure. PandaLabs also saw this year how several Web pages in the United States and South Korea were the subject of attacks.

2010 will be the year in which all anti-malware companies will innovate to remain competitive as cloud-based security becomes the most effective way to fight today’s malware.