It's the time of year for sweeping summaries of the past 12 months and predictions aplenty for the next ones to come. While we may see a few too many of these analyses and list-making as we come to the close of another year, they can provide us with an interesting look at the months gone by, which in turn can open up some insight into the coming year. There's a nice roundup of the year in malware review at ChannelWeb News which does just that - take a look at its Top 10 Malware Attacks of 2008 for a slideshow of the biggest online scams and schemes that we've seen this year.

Something else we can usually expect to encounter online this time of year - an increase in the amount of spammed, and often malicious, e-greeting cards. Reports are showing that this holiday season has been no different. If you're returning to the Web today after some time off for the holidays, take care as you browse your e-mail inbox. Be safe out there!