E-MAIL bugs that have caused billions of pounds of damage worldwide could be stamped out thanks to Malvern computer experts.

The Defence Evaluation Research Agency (DERA) has created a piece of software that contains crippling viruses before they spread.

It could be a huge money-spinner for the organisation after it was launched last week at a London trade fair.

The software, called ::Mail, took years of research and six months to develop by a seven-strong team at DERA's Secure e-Business unit.

It works by stopping viruses getting out of a computer once they have entered.

When a computer user tries to send an email, ::Mail shows a box on screen telling the user what is being sent and to whom.

If the user unwittingly opens an infected e-mail, which then tries to replicate itself - causing the crippling virus - the box appears, warning that the computer is trying to send e-mails.

At the click of a mouse, the virus is prevented from escaping, damaging just the host computer.

::Mail is protected from attacks so virus writers will not be able to produce a code capable of overriding its security.

Jonathan Byrne, of DERA, said the software had been a popular draw on the first day of the InfoSec 2001 trade fair.

"Ideally, we would want to market this on a world-wide basis to every type of user," said Mr Byrne.

"This is the first time the software has gone on show and there has been a great amount of interest in it. We think we're on to a winner."

::Mail would be marketed in three forms, from a lightweight version which simply stops the e-mail virus being propagated to other users, to an advanced security option that can even stop sophisticated viruses releasing spoof e-mails into the network.

E-mail viruses have become the curse of modern computing, as once opened, they usually send themselves to every name in a user's e-mail address book.

In May last year, an e-mail virus headed ILOVEYOU caused an estimated £3bn of damage, infecting some 100 million internet users.

The development of ::Mail is another coup for Malvern, which brought the world liquid crystal display (LCD).

Earlier this month, it unveiled a new mine-detecting radar which could be attached to an airborne minesweeper.