Have worms been squashed? Credit firewalls
Larry Seltzer writes about security issues and in an eWeek article, The End of the Worm Era, he says
What has changed? Perhaps the biggest change is Windows XP SP2. The number of security improvements in it are significant, including an inbound firewall that would stop just about any of these attacks in the default configuration.
He also points to firewalls in another reference
Another major reason is the commoditization of network security: Even a simple NAT router would block most of these attacks. Almost all of these worms come through ports not normally routed by a simple router. And most of even the cheapest routers these days include a firewall, which precludes even more attacks.
Nowhere in his article does Seltzer mention anti-virus programs. The gist of his article is that much greater use of firewalls has caused the reduction in worm vulnerability. I have been saying for a long time that using a firewall is essential for all Internet users and is the most important single component of computer security.
Added later: Let me slightly correct myself. The really crucial part of computer safety is the use of commonsense but a firewall is the most important tangible component.
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Good catch, Vic!