Following on from threats made last week by the authors of the worms Bagle and Netsky, the war of the worms has escalated to a new level.

Symantec this week introduced versions of its consumer and small business security software with updates that protect against network-scanning worms such as Sasser, and keep phishing attacks at bay.

Testing anti-virus software is a tricky endeavour at the best of times, due to the inherent nasty nature of the test subject. For this anti-virus roundup, we asked independent anti-virus testing lab, AV-Test.org (www.av-test.org) to conduct the testing for us in their controlled environments. AV-Test.org has access to thousands of viruses, and is a respected anti-virus testing lab.

They will get past your security software. Know your enemy and protect yourself.

The top 10 virus threats during May were all worm-related, according to a survey from security company Trend Micro.

Users hoping to see x-rated footage of Paris Hilton may get more than they bargained for, with an anti-virus firm warning about worms masquerading as video clips.

Three new variants of the Beagle worm (also known as "Bagle") were unleashed last week, according to security vendor Symantec.

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Increase your internet security with a hardware firewall. Simon Edwards shows you how to get started in this step by step guide.

Latest instant messaging worms signal increased danger.

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package

Impressive and free antivirus and antispyware package