Sophos security said that the 10 most commonly found pieces of malicious software all targeted Windows machines. In contrast, it said, none of the "malware" were capable of infecting the Mac OS X operating system. Microsoft has pledged that the latest version of its operating system, known as Vista, will be its most secure yet.
"It is our goal to give PC users the control and confidence they need so they can continue to get the most out of their PCs," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "Windows Vista contains a number of new safety features that, taken together, are designed to make Windows PCs more secure and online experiences safer." Microsoft said that security on Vista would be an integral part of the operating system rather than an add-on like in previous systems.