A security research firm predicted on Wednesday that cyber attacks involving governments, organizations and even cars will become major threats in 2012.

The McAfee Lab's 2012 Threat Predictions report finds that attacks on virtual currency, mobile hacking and legal spam will make headlines next year.

"Many of the threats that will become prominent in 2012 have already been looming under the radar in 2011," said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs said in a press release.

"Over the past year, the general public has become more aware of some of these risks, such as threats to critical infrastructure or the impact of hacktivism as they gain international media attention."

McAfee says that many countries are now realizing the potential of cyber attacks against infrastructure and the difficulty of defending against them.

In particular, the United States realizes its vulnerability to cyber war because of its massive dependence on computer systems, McAfee said.

McAfee said that, according to reports, the use of cyber weapons in the revolution in Libya was considered but didn't happen because no one wanted to be the first.

Mobile banking is also a predicted target.

Almost half of all Canadian smartphone users are expected to use mobile banking by 2013.

"As soon as you hit a banking website, it starts recording your keystrokes," said security analyst Keith Murphy of Defence Intelligence. "So it has your passwords, your security questions and everything else."

Other threats predicted by McAfee:

• Cybercriminals targeting utilities, such as water, electricity, oil and gas
• The legalization of spam by advertisers
• Malware attacks with greater control and long-term access to system and data
• Increase of hacktivism where hackers will join forces with physical protesters
• Targeting of virtual currency
• Circulation of fake rogue certificates
• More effort put into hardware and firmware exploits

McAfee is also warning consumers against the threat of malicious software and hardware manipulation of vehicles as more and more technology is introduced.

A report done by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Washington last year found that critical safety components of a vehicle can be hacked if physical access to the vehicle's electronic components inside the passenger cabin is available.

"You can start a car, unlock it, you can activate the airbags," said Gary Davis, a consumer cyber security expert at McAfee. "You can also apply the brakes while the car was moving with a smartphone."

McAfee said that the scientists figured out a way to hack into a modern car using a laptop and that recently the same research team extended the scenario to remotely mount attacks via Bluetooth.

Researchers at the University of South Carolina and Rutgers University demonstrated another attack by using wireless short-distance communication via a tire pressure monitoring system to track a vehicle and compromise passengers' privacy.

Experts say that the best defence against cyber attacks is to regularly update software security and frequently change passwords.

With a report from CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife