Poll: Aussies still snared by email worms

SYDNEY (ZDNet Australia)--The recent hype surrounding viruses such as the menacing SirCam and Code Red worms has still not deterred users from clicking on those curious email appearing in their inboxes, according to a ZDNet reader survey.

During the recent spray of viruses, ZDNet conducted a survey asking users whether they had been infected by any of the computer worms that are currently doing the rounds.

Out of 1,000 responses, 55 percent said they had let their guard down momentarily and been hit by one of those nasty little critters creeping around in the wild wild Web.

According to Andrew Gordon, spokesman for anti-virus vendor Trend Micro, the reason users “let their guard down” could be due to the amount of focus on the Code Red worm, which has caused users to forget the other viruses still in circulation.

“There are a number of viruses still roaming around and when another one comes out, users forget about the previous one still roaming around,” Gordon said.

“They have to remember that they don’t go away.”

Trend Micro said the emphasis should not be on the user to implement virus protection on their desktops. The responsibility lies with corporations and those dealing directly with the Internet gateway to keep viruses at bay, according to Gordon.

A recent report by IDC found that 85 percent of viruses come through an Internet gateway such as Hotmail.

“There needs to be less focus on the user and more focus on stopping it getting through the gateway to the user,” Gordon said.

The SirCam worm, which has been quietly lurking in the shadows while Code Red hogged the limelight, is rated as the number one security threat in Australia on the Trend Micro anti-virus Web site.