You've heard of identity theft, but perhaps you haven't heard about email identity theft. It's called SPOOFING. Its roots are in the SMTP protocol that is used almost universally by email servers. It is a long established protocol and the likelihood of its being changed is in the slim-to-none category. In other words there is little you can do about it beyond protecting yourself as previously described. The point of this is that the FROM address on an email may have no relationship with the sender at all. If your friend, associate, or family member sends you an email with a virus attached, don't automatically assume that it actually came from him/her. (A lot of hard/hurt feelings can be avoided if you avoid this assumption.) If their machine is not protected it could be their fault, but no friend of yours has an unprotected machine-right?

In reviewing my past articles it is clear that perspective is being lost.

The Internet gives a window on the world to everyone-something that has never existed before, the value of which cannot be over emphasized. Everyone can use it for his or her own purposes, to whatever extent desired, and from the convenience of their own home. There is literally nothing, not requiring actual physical presence, about which you cannot indulge your curiosity and, in many cases, participate. This includes the shop-till-you drop experience that seems to be at the core of our current existence. Like the real world, particularly around a farm, there are many undesirable things you can step in if you aren't careful! The need to protect yourself against such things, in no way negates the value of what the Internet offers by its presence. The amount of protection needed is negligible compared to the benefits that are available.

The real world offers immediate consequences; they can be irritating, disgusting (cleaning your shoe), painful, or deadly. Some can be foreseen and avoided, some cannot. The point is they happen now and they happen to you! No second chances, only consequences. The Internet, on the other hand, is an electronic connection. The only immediate consequences occur on the computer screen. These can be irritating and disgusting but are not painful or deadly (your reaction may cause it to be). They are not permanent and second chances abound. The reasonable and prudent user (remember those backups) can usually recover easily, quickly, and with minimal (if any) loss. No one can protect the Gullible but most of us only fit in this category occasionally, and we can learn from our mistakes.

The next few articles will concentrate on maintenance to keep your machine operating as smoothly as possible and on troubleshooting the more common problems encountered by most of us. Hopefully they will help keep our machines running and our computer experiences pleasant.

CAG