The Margin admits to being both baffled and taken aback at the number of times the latest virus scourge on the internet, Badtrans, has popped into the email inbox. Of course, the computer nasties had been rendered harmless by anti-virus software, so all those highly valued emails from The Margin's informers remain intact and protected.

But most of the virus-carrying emails have come from various Irish companies that clearly do not have even a rudimentary firewall and anti-virus system in place - the patch for the virus, after all, has been available for months. An amazing situation, given the cost to companies of data meltdown due to a bad virus, and the cost of bad will for further spreading the damn things to clients, friends and customers.

The Margin is considering a name-and-shame scheme for those that can't make a minor investment in computer safety.