Leading internet service provider (ISP) TalkTalk is attempting to improve levels of web security for its consumers, it has been reported.

The firm says it is conducting a web monitoring trial in a bid to identify malware, which can potentially be used by criminals to target consumer data.

A spokesperson for the ISP told the Register that TalkTalk is in the process of launching a new anti-malware system, designed to provide enhanced levels of IT security.

He explained that the information collected was not being stored for behavioural marketing purposes, rather to help secure broadband connections.

"We are not interested in who has visited which site - we are simply scanning a list of sites which our customers, as a whole internet community, have visited," the spokesperson said.

Up until the end of the week, consumers can avoid a £29.99 connection fee when registering online for TalkTalk's Essentials and Plus broadband deals.