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Soccer fans around the globe are enthralled with the drama being played out on fields in South Africa for the World Cup. As a result, they are testing the limits of the Internet's ability to deliver video streaming to computers and handheld devices.

At the same time, cyber criminals are taking advantage of interest in the World Cup to deliver new attacks and trick fans into visiting rogue sites.

Networking vendor Cisco said this week that global Web traffic is up an average of 27 percent during World Cup matches, as fans look for updated scores and news related to their teams. Japan is experiencing the highest surge in traffic, a 53 percent increase during matches, followed by the United Kingdom, 37 per cent, Germany, 32 percent, Australia, 20 percent, and Singapore. The United States is only seeing an 8 percent surge in traffic, but given the size of the market, that is placing a strain on networks.

Cisco noted that the World Cup action has created an unprecedented demand for video streaming services, both to personal computers and smartphone devices. Some Internet service providers are taking advantage of that demand to upsell customers to higher speed services.

However, the demand is also resulting in a dangerous level of security risks, as cyber criminals look to exploit World Cup attention through rogue sites.

Cisco noted that a common scam is an unsolicited email, offering a link to free video streaming of World Cup matches. Clinking on the link usually takes the user to a rogue site which attempts to install software that can compromise the user's computer.

The increase in demand for streaming services is a bit of a double-edged sword for Internet service providers and telecommunications companies. On the one-hand, the increased interest will provide an opportunity to market higher-priced services and devices, such as smartphones with enhanced streaming capabilities so users can follow their favorite teams.

But on the other-hand, networks that are already taxed by devices such as iPhones and iPads, are having difficulty keeping up. As the World Cup enters the later stages, the problem will become more acute.

No matter what, however, the World Cup is likely serving as a turning point for future video streaming. You can expect that four years from now at the next World Cup, it will be common for smartphone users for smartphone users to watch matches live or in recorded form over their devices.