The deputy head of the UK's computer crime unit has warned companies not to become complacent about antivirus protection, as news broke that the unit has arrested two men suspected of writing an Internet worm.

Detective superintendent Mick Deats of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) said that though the number of virus reports fell in 2002, it was important for companies to remain vigilant and protect their systems against future attacks. "It is not a time to become complacent," said Deats. "New technology will continue to be an area that virus writers will attack. All new technology does is give them a new challenge." He added that an increase in script viruses meant that the average home user could now write viruses without needing specialist programming skills.

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