With the ease and high number of viruses spreading across the computer world by way of e-mail, some experts see Federal laws holding businesses legally responsible for passing computer threats on to other businesses as the wave of the near future.

	WEEKLY REPORTS Latest Security Updates, Spyware Products Top 10 Threats

It is becoming common to see clauses in business contracts that allow a company to take legal action if specific security measures aren't being met and a computer threat is subsequently transmitted from company to company.

Some businesses are already seeking to recover losses from companies that they claim violated similar agreements to keep systems secure or that inadvertently released viruses. It is difficult, however, to calculate the exact dollar amount that is lost when a business is infected by a virus or threat.

Whether it is negligent or whether its Internet security is simply not as strong as the security of its contacts, a business could find itself to be the weakest link in the chain of communication.

Information, Protection and Prevention -- Business Virus Liability
• eContracts and ePolicies

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* Reading: Solutions, Prevention & Remedies
Additional summary information related to a specific type of solution or prevention that you should be considering. Depending upon the week, this section may have:
• Recent Windows security releases from Microsoft
• Recent updates to widely used anti-spyware programs
• Recent updates to widely used anti-virus programs
• Recent updates to other security programs & devices (ex: Firewalls, routers)
• Recent updates to various applications in wide use

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Read: Top Threats
These are viruses that are currently on the watch lists of major anti-virus software companies.

Name
What the threat is called. We use the name given each virus by Panda Software. Sometimes other anti-virus companies give the same threat a different name. Usually they use similar names.

Type
There are different characteristics associated with different types of threats.
• Virus - has the ability to replicate or infect computers or other programs
• Trojan Horse (or Trojan) - appear to be harmless programs when you get them. They unleash their payload when you double-click, open, or execute them.
• Phishing - a Web site or e-maill message posing as another company - usually one you know to fool you into giving the sender personal information.
• Worm - self replicates onto additional disks, computers or networks
• Spyware - installs on your system to collect information about your activity, preferences or interests
• Hoax - false messages sent by e-maill to mislead the recipient
• Backdoors - opens a security hole that allows outsiders to take control of your computer
• Dialer - uses your telephone to dial an outside number - sometimes a number that costs you money when dialed

Affects
Not all viruses affect all types of systems. Some, for example may affect only Windows 98 and 95, but not Windows XP or NT. Others affect all Windows systems, but not Macintosh. In this column, we show you the consumer systems that the threat is known to affect. We don't always include the servers that operate in your company's backroom.

Alert level
The level of awareness that anti-virus vendors suggest you need to have for each threat listed.
For each threat listed, we'll post a corresponding link here, so you can get more information to help you recognize, diagnose, prevent, and repair the problem.