No! Viruses can be distributed in a variety of common and ultra-high-tech ways including:

1.       Diskette or zip disk. This used to be the most common way to spread a virus, although it is decreasing with the increase in internet use and high-speed internet access. However, many users still carry disks with data files or zip disks with large graphic or presentation files on them either as backups or to transfer from an office computer to a home computer. Even if a virus has not infected the files on the disk, boot sector viruses can infect the disk itself. These viruses will be released when the disk is inserted in the computer, even if just to look at the file contents!

2.       Attachments are certainly the most common way of becoming infected from emails at this time. Viruses can inhabit any file type - document, picture or program file - so users need to be careful when opening attachments from unknown senders or chain emails or files they did not request. Many attachment viruses are worms so users should be aware of the names of the common attachment threats by simply reading or watching the daily tech news.

3.       Via web site. Worms can also infect Microsoft's Active-X and Sun's Java script controls, which means that worms can be embedded in web pages and launch themselves upon visitors who simply visit the site and view the web page! While this has rarely occurred to date, it is a distinct possibility in the future that simply browsing the web could be very dangerous without adequate antivirus protection!

4.       PDA or other handheld and wireless devices. The latest strain of viruses are aimed at the popular handhelds (like the Palm Pilots) or web-enabled phones that can receive email, view special web content or receive files from other users via infrared transmission. These devices are also synchronized with a laptop or desktop computer each night, to update information. So the methods of attacking a PDA or WAP phone are many. Viruses on the computer can be synchronized into the PDA during an update. WAP phones that receive an email can get a memory-resident virus that attacks their files.  And users who swap electronic business cards or other data via the infra-red port (known as "beaming") can transmit viruses to each other much like worms replicate via email. Since many users have their IR ports set to "autoreceive" it is actually possible for a strong IR transmitting source to "broadcast" malicious code to a wide group of users in an open space like a train, airport or hotel lobby!