But as viruses are eliminated, phishing is set to increase

Windows Vista will deliver a level of security that could bring an end to traditional virus and worm attacks, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer claimed during a public speaking engagement in Silicon Valley yesterday.

"Subject to the fact that there might still be a small amount of human error, we will have eliminated the known attack vectors that people use against us today," Ballmer said at an event at the Churchill Club and Commonwealth Club.

Ballmer touted the security of his firm's forthcoming operating system as one of the main reasons why people should upgrade, together with its new search and graphics features.

Because Windows is one of the most targeted applications, Microsoft has been able to collect huge amounts of data on how hackers attack the software, Ballmer pointed out.

Windows Vista will offer a raft of security enhancements. Users will run in a standard mode by default, whereas today most user accounts have administrative rights.

The operating system will also come bundled with the Windows Defender AntiSpyware application, and the Vista firewall is capable of bi-directional filtering, although its default configuration will be to filter only inbound network traffic.

The forthcoming Internet Explorer 7 also contains enhanced security features, including the ability to inform users when they visit a known phishing website.

But, while claiming that the operating system itself would be "bullet-proof" , Ballmer warned that criminals will find other ways to target computers.

"The next generation of attack vectors are more likely to be insidious, in the sense that instead of disrupting people it will try to steal your money and steal your identity," he said.

"The battle moves more to malware and phishing than just the old-fashioned viruses."