Once is never enough

Don’t expect the new Windows XP version of Microsoft’s Outlook e-mailer to be
any better at stopping the spread of viruses, says Symantec, the US antivirus
software company. Viruses can be written as short programs called “executables”,
often embedded in e-mails to produce effects like animations when an e-mail is
opened. While the new Outlook is set up not to run executables without checking
first with the user, it will only check once, says Robert Clyde, Symantec’s
technology chief. Executables in subsequent e-mails— which could contain
viruses—will run automatically. “It never asks again and goes on opening
them for…