Several security experts are warning of increased cyberattacks targeting Windows PCs, but Microsoft says all is calm on the attack front.

Fake Windows security patches and rogue iPod invoices have been making the rounds this week as spammers continue trying to fool people into installing Trojans on their PC.

In a third and final report on Windows Vista, Symantec examined the security of the operating system core and found some vulnerabilities.

Microsoft's own antivirus software, Live OneCare, is unable to fully protect Vista users against viruses, and one of security firm McAfee's antivirus software packages also fails to protect users, according to independent research released Friday.

Windows Vista is a leap forward in terms of security, but few people who know the operating system say the advances are enough to justify an upgrade.

Symantec is thinking up ways to take the pain out of a security feature in Windows Vista. The US-based company has plans to create a technology that makes security decisions for Vista owners dealing with User Account Control.

The argument between Sophos and Microsoft over the security of Windows Vista took another turn last week when Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin stepped in to try and calm things down.

The Church of England's publishing arm has advised clergy to ignore Symantec security warnings, after its Norton Antivirus product wrongly identified church software as spyware.

The most popular antivirus applications on the market are rendered useless by around 80 percent of new malware, according to AusCERT. At a security breakfast hosted by e-mail security firm Messagelabs in Sydney on Wednesday, the general manager of the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT), Graham Ingram, told the audience that popular desktop antivirus applications "don't work".

Some of Microsoft's efforts to make Windows Vista its most stable and secure operating system ever could cause instability and new security flaws, according to a Symantec report.