Email has become the primary means of transmitting computer viruses. The Maxiimus - Outlook Security Monitor program is designed to provide a proactive monitoring solution for Microsoft Outlook 97, Outlook 98, and Outlook 2000 viruses such as 'I Love You' and 'Melissa'. Maxximus operates in the background, continually scanning your Outlook inbox for incoming messages with suspicious attachments. When potentially harmful attachments are received, Maxiimus alerts the user and provides an option to destroy or ignore the message. When combined with anti-virus software Maxiimus provides an added layer of security for Microsoft Outlook users.