Viruses 2000: A Special Report

Viruses: The Next Generation The next big threat to privacy, security, and computers themselves will come from within: In the coming decade, viruses will become smarter, more dangerous, and tougher to track.

When Love Came to Town: The LoveLetter Virus Investigation How did the authorities track down the suspected author of the LoveLetter virus within one week of its release? We'll take you behind the scenes and show you how the investigators did it.

How It Works: Viruses They're the common cold for your computer--but how did they originate, and how do they work? We answer those questions and tell you how to stop them.

Three Minutes With Fred Cohen, Virus Trends Tracker One of the earliest virus researchers and the person credited with coining the term "computer virus," Fred Cohen pioneered some of the virus detection techniques still used in antivirus software today.

Viruses: How to Protect Yourself You don't have to kill your PC to keep it virus-free; just practice safe computing. We explain the basic techniques you can use to prevent infecting yourself and others.

What Makes Johnny (and Jane) Write Viruses? Who would want to write a virus, anyway? We interview virus researcher Sarah Gordon, who surveyed virus writers about what motivates them to code viruses.

Freeze! Drop That Download! Should it be a crime to write or post a virus-infected file to the Internet? The government is considering legislation to do just that, which also could make many other online activities illegal overnight.

Three Minutes With Jennifer Granick, Defense Attorney A criminal defense attorney who specializes in helping those accused of computer crimes, Granick talks with us about legal issues surrounding virus writing.

Three Minutes With Doctor Owl, Virus Writer We spoke directly to a virus writer, who tells PC World in his own words how he got started writing viruses for fun, and why he and other virus writers do it.