So far, 2003 is off to a slower start than 2002 in terms of the appearance of new computer viruses. Many have tried to account for this decline by saying that antivirus protection has improved, that Microsoft has enhanced the security in Outlook 2002, and that new legislation following the events of September 11 has deterred virus writers.

I disagree with all of these arguments. While antivirus protection has improved, there are still many unprotected PCs in the world. Microsoft may have enhanced Outlook 2002's security, but many companies and individuals are still running earlier versions of the software and haven't yet applied the appropriate security patches.

And finally, I don't think a virus writer in some distant country cares whether the U.S. Congress has enacted laws that make virus creation a crime punishable by life in prison.