Cyber-espionage, privacy violations and social networking attacks will be the biggest security issues in 2012, according to PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory division of Panda Security said. The attacks are expected to continue increasing along with the growing presence of mobile electronic devices.

"The malware game continues. As new technologies advance, cyber-crooks develop new modes of attack, often by simply adapting old techniques to the new platforms – which is an area software vendors need to pay attention to," said Luis Corrons, PandaLabs' technical director. "In the end, though, it's users' false sense of security that is the hacker's best friend."

Those with a cyber crime degree will have to stay on their toes to keep up with the evolving types of attacks as hackers and other criminals continue to find new ways to obtain sensitive and private information. Corporate firms and government agencies will need stepped-up protection from Trojans, which PandaLabs expects to be the most widely used weapon of choice for hackers.

Elsewhere in the cyber world, experts are advising users of online banking to increase their safety when accessing accounts. In addition to using an elaborate password, users should be wary of emails from people claiming to be from a bank, U.S. News & World Report said.