What do you get when you combine the ever-growing number of 20-somethings in the workforce the ignorance of instant messaging threats and unauthorized IM application downloads?

One of the answers, according to Akonix Systems, is a 78-percent increase in the number of IM-based threats from this time last year.

Individuals who are younger that 30 and don’t use some sort of IM or chat application are rare, and attackers are beginning to take advantage.

Here’s a quote on the growing threat from Akonix’s Don Montgomery, vice president of marketing at the San Diego-based company.

“We’ve seen decreases in IM attacks during the summer months each of the past three years, but this year, the decrease has been less, leading to the alarming year-to-year jump in IM threats of 78 percent,” he said. “Since most IT departments have secure email but have left IM unprotected, it’s only natural that hackers are adjusting their sights to delivering malicious code through the path of least resistance. In corporate networks, the path of least resistance is IM.”