Proliferating Viruses Computer viruses, like their human counterparts, come in all kinds of forms and degrees of malignancy, from less harmful strains that insert the word "wazzu" into Microsoft Word documents, to extremely harmful varieties that can cause hard disks -- or entire corporate networks -- to crash. Prior to the popularity of the Internet, computer viruses were relatively easy to contain, since file transfers - the typical mechanism viruses use to spread and replicate themselves - were typically done via floppy disks. But the speedy transfer of files over the Internet and corporate networks has provided an extremely fertile environment for viruses to proliferate. Estimates by virus experts are that eight or more new viruses are released into the computing world each day. Cyber Innoculations Scientists at the IBM Watson Research Center have come up with a solution that could go a long way toward controlling the growth of computer viruses.  The IBM team has patented what they call an "immune system for cyberspace." The system, an extension to IBM AntiVirus, detects when a new virus enters a PC in a networked organization. IBM AntiVirus then automatically "captures" the virus and sends it over the Internet to an automated virus analysis center. The virus is analyzed, and information to detect and cure it are derived and sent back over the Internet to the PC that first found the virus. At the same time, the cure for the new virus is made available to everyone in the world. This process, which would take humans hours or even days with each new virus, can occur within minutes of a new virus' arrival. For the first time, a cure for a new virus can be found and distributed faster than the virus itself can spread. future applications