@Steve Evans

You are perfectly right - not many people have a proper router with a hardware firewall.

I have had one for the past six years, and I know nothing of infections or even scans. I don't exist on the net - not until I go and request a page.

I have six or seven friends with which I regularly converse electronically - but the only ones that have a router/firewall are the ones who work in the IT business.

The others, with little IT knowledge and just enough Windows know-how to get them by during the day, have software firewall, anti-virus and anti-spam apps because I insisted they should.

So yes, I totally believe that most home users have insufficient protection. They are simply not aware neither of the dangers, nor of the solutions.