Just goes to prove that the top of the corporate ladder is indeed staffed by the cream of the crop.

Cream; Dense (thick) upper layer, s(h)itting on the layer below. Easily Skimmed using the appropriate tools.

If corporate cheif execs are dense enough to open email attachments and run them then a) they can afford to lose the money and b) they deserve what they get.

To quote a very relevant Scott Adams cartoon:

"The Pointy-Haired Boss has become so dense he has collapsed into a black hole. Sadly his thoughts can still escape because they lack substance."

Why don't run the (external) email program and the webbrowser in a separate VMWare image ? Deny the host machine contact with the internet. Doing everything on the same (logical) machine is clearly hazardous. I am waiting for html-mails that do a buffer overflow just by looking at them.

I agree with your sentiment, but in the real world, the execs never end up paying for their mistakes personally. It's usually some poor sod in finance (who's probably behind with the mortgage anyway) who'll end up carrying the can, or they use it as an excuse for cutting the IT budget yet again ("you should have stopped this!!!")

All the companies do then is up the prices of their products & services (usually about 5 times what they lost) so we all end up paying.

Paris, cos I don't reckon she'd ever get caught on this one...

Then payback is in order.

Find these phraudsters, and HARPOON them to a phone pole.

Cream isn't the only substance that rises to the top. I felt it's my doody... err... duty to let you know.

Whaling!?

Honestly. This has got to stop. Phishing, spear phishing, phone phishing/Vishing. Now whaling. I think the security lexicon has officially become over-fished.

Make it stop.