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It seems that virus writers, faced with increasingly effective filtering software that now recognises any virus payloads that are attached to emails, are now encrypting those attachments and relying on victims to decrypt them so as to release their malevolent contents.

What's more, to eliminate the possibility of filtering software picking the decryption password out of the body of the email and using that to check the contents of the attachment, the password is being delivered as a graphic image.

Surely there couldn't be anyone left on the face of the planet who'd be stupid enough to go to all the trouble of decrypting and running an unsolicited attachment of dubious origin and unknown content?

Of course there is -- in fact the sad truth is that there are millions of such people.

What's more, it's the sheer ignorance and idiocy of these people that will doubtless see email servers around the globe clogged with copies of this virus and its clones.

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Much as I hate the prospect, I'm wondering if it isn't time for some new laws.

Let's make it an offence to actively participate in the propagation of a computer virus and throw the idiots in jail, or at least confiscate their computers.

The careless attitudes of these people is a menace to all other Net users and network operators so they deserve some kind of kick up the backside.

Such a law would not be without precedent. There are already a raft of laws designed to punish those who engage in behaviour or activities that adversely affect the interests of others. Just try turning your stereo up to maximum volume at 2 o'clock in the morning and you'll see what I mean.

Just to make myself clear, I'm not talking about the situation where someone receives an email which exploits a flaw in Windows or some other piece of software to automatically launch multiple copies of itself to all your mates. No, I'm talking about the situation where someone is stupid enough to open an unsolicited attachment or engage in other "high risk" behaviour.

And, as is the case with the law, ignorance would be no defence. If you use the Net then it's your responsibility to ensure you're aware of the risks.

I wonder how long before we see the ultimate human engineering-based virus. It will probably arrive as an image file attached to an email and that image will contain a GIF of the following text:

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