How long has it been since you've updated your anti-virus software? Ever since the Melissa virus first hit last March, clones of the original virus have hit PCs, and the latest ones-labeled Melissa U & V viruses-also claim to wreak havoc on our software and systems.

According to the Sophos anti-virus Web site (whose product was named this week as the anti-virus software of choice for KMPG), the latest viruses feature the words "Pictures" in the subject line of an e-mail message, along with the sender's user name. When the recipient opens the message, the message itself is empty, but an attached Word file will corrupt both network files as well as spread the infection to various recipients in the address book.

Check with your IT technicians, or rely on one of the many anti-virus software Web sites for assistance, including Norton.