What do bosses have in common with ex-boyfriends? Both are at most risk from revenge attacks with digital viruses, according to the result of the international online study of Avira. In August, the German IT security expert asked 7,297 visitors to the www.free-av.de and www.free-av.com websites whether they would like to paralyze a computer with a really nasty virus and if so, whose.

For 67 per cent of the German- and English-speaking respondents, such an insidious revenge attack was out of the question. However, the remaining 33 per cent would have no scruples about giving vent to their anger with an infected email if they could. Potential victims were to be found in both the private and the professional sphere, with ex-partners topping the list with 14 per cent. Supervisors should also check attachments to their emails before opening them, because 10 per cent of those asked feel like getting one back on their boss with a Trojan. The same applies to teachers and professors – the probability of them receiving a digital virus in their mailbox as a punishment is 7 per cent. According to the Avira study, parents-in-law can breathe a sigh of relief. Only two per cent of the participants in the survey would want to call them to account with an email virus.

“Watch who you trust – cyber-criminal energy also appears to be slumbering in apparently harmless individuals”, summarizes Tjark Auerbach, the founder and CEO of Avira. “After all, one in three obviously have no inhibitions about using a digital virus as a means of revenge. However, these people are probably completely unaware of what damage they can do with viruses, worms and Trojans. Frequently, malware not only paralyzes the targeted computer but also spreads like wildfire to other people, for example, via address books. Therefore, to prevent private and professional attacks, an up-to-date virus protection program is a must on every PC.”