General E-mail Warning - Worms, Low Life Of The Internet

One of the identifying traits of an e-mail worm is that it reproduces or "replicates" itself independent of any human activity or aid. A virus, on the other hand, requires human assistance to be passed along by e-mail or file sharing, etc. Some worms replicate by going into an infected computer's e-mail address book and sending messages (with a copy of the worm attached) to the contacts listed in that address book. Some worms will try to cover their tracks by listing someone from the infected computer's address book as the sender rather than the actual owner of the infected computer. So what's the big deal? Worms rob computers of processing power. They also rob users and Internet Service Providers of Internet bandwidth by sending themselves out via e-mail. They can also damage or corrupt essential system files potentially wreaking e-havoc either by accident or by the malicious intent of the person who created the worm. In short, they waste time and resources.

Here's an example of how an e-mail worm works: Person A sends an e-mail worm to Person B. Person B's computer becomes infected. The worm copies and sends itself to Person C's computer (who was listed in Person B's address book) but shows the sender as Person D (who was also listed in Person B's address book). Therefore, Person C believes Person D sent the e-mail worm when it was actually from Person B's infected computer. Person D's only involvement was having his/her e-mail address listed within Person B's address book.

So, if you get an e-mail message sent to you from a friend, business associate or family member that contains an attached worm, don't automatically assume it was the sender that actually sent the worm to you. Rather, it may very well have been someone else whose computer was infected and e-mailed you the message.

Additionally, if you get an e-mail from a friend who tells you that you've sent him/her a message containing a worm, this may not necessarily be the case. Rather, a mutual friend may have sent the worm to your friend but the message showed you as the sender because you were listed in the mutual friend's infected address book.

In closing, be sure to update your computer's virus filtering software on a regular basis for optimum protection against e-mail worm and virus attacks.

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Say Goodbye To Spam - Scatter Creek InfoNet Offers Spam Filtering

Tired of unsolicited e-mail? Scatter Creek InfoNet offers a free spam filter that you can put on your incoming e-mail. The filter identifies "Spam" and filters it out before you receive it. If you would like to add the spam filter to your account, go to www.scattercreek.com, click on Technical Assistance, click on Spam Filter, enter your user name and password and select how you would like e-mail marked as spam to be handled. For more information or assistance on the spam filter, please e-mail support@scattercreek.com.

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Ask The Help Desk - Copying Large Sections Of Text The Easy Way

Question: Sometimes when I'm copying large sections of text using my mouse, I zip right past the place I want to stop. Then, while keeping my mouse button down and scrolling back up, I zip right past my desired stopping point again. Is there an easier way to select the text that I want to copy?

Answer: The easiest way around this problem is to stop using your mouse when scrolling through large sections of text. To accomplish this, first click your cursor arrow at the point you want to start copying (highlighting) the text. Next, hold down the "shift" key as you press either the up arrow or the down arrow on your keypad. Holding down the "shift" key as you press these arrow keys will allow you to scroll (and highlight) the text in a manageable way.

If this doesn't work as expected in an HTML document or e-mail, try clicking your cursor arrow at the point you want to start your selection and then scroll down to the place you want the selection to stop. Hold the "shift" key down as you click at the end point. The area between the start and the end point will be selected.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Bed And Breakfasts Galore
http://bedandbreakfast.com -  Are you looking to get away for a quiet, romantic weekend with your spouse over Memorial Day Weekend? Why not stay at a bed and breakfast? At bedandbreakfast.com you'll find a listing of over 27,000 bed and breakfasts from across the globe. The site includes descriptions and photos of the homes, reviews by guests who've stayed at particular b&b's as well as listings of local activities to enjoy while you are there.

Finding Nemo - The Movie
http://pixar.com -  This is the fifth film from the production company that made Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2 and Monster's, Inc. If it's anything like the others, it'll be a fun movie for the entire family. Finding Nemo opens May 30th and is rated G. Be sure to check out the "Short Films" section of this website and watch For The Bird. The short film was a trailer on the Monster's, Inc. movie and it's hilarious!

Being Prepared In The Event Of An Emergency
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/ -  Boy Scouts are taught to "be prepared." The Red Cross follows this advice on their website by providing detailed information on what to do in a variety of disaster situations. Whether it is a fire, tornado, thunderstorm, terrorist attack or a chemical emergency, this site is a great resource for better preparing Americans in the event of an emergency. Remember to give blood at the nearest Red Cross location.

Travel "America's Byways" This Summer
http://www.byways.org/ -  Are you planning to "hit the road" on a family vacation this summer? Why not travel down a "National Scenic Byway" while heading to your destination? This site, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, provides details on the ninety-five designated "America's Byways" located across the U.S. These roads are given this distinction based on their archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. You can even order a free map online!

The NHL Is "Cup Crazy" In May!
http://nhl.com/cupcrazy2003/index.html -  If you think March was "Madness," check out the NHL's Playoff link via their home page. You'll get up-to-the-minute scores from this month's playoff games as well as complete stats, video and radio highlights, player interviews and links to your favorite NHL team's site.

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Short Tutorial - Sending Pictures As E-mail Attachments

An easy way to send photos to friends and family is to attach them to an e-mail message. These may be photos that you’ve scanned in to your computer or downloaded from your digital camera. Although the following tutorial is based on Outlook Express for Windows, the process is basically the same for Netscape, Eudora and Macintosh users. Just keep an eye out for that paperclip icon on the toolbar. Here's how to attach a photo in Outlook Express:

1. Open Outlook Express.
   
   
2. Create a new message and prepare it for sending by addressing it, giving it a title (i.e. "Graduation Photos") and composing a message.
   
   
3. Click on the "Attach" button on the Message Toolbar. This button usually has some sort of paperclip icon as part of its design. (It is located on the Application Toolbar in some programs.) The "Insert Attachment" dialog box will appear.
   
   
4. Type the name of the file containing the photo into the "File Name" field or simply browse to the desired file and click on it to select it. Note: You can attach more than one picture to an e-mail but remember that the more files you select to send as attachments to one e-mail message, the longer it will take you to send it and for the recipient to receive his/her mail. If you have several photos to send, consider sending them separately attached to several e-mail messages.
   
   
5. Click the "Attach" button and then send your message.

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All of Us at Scatter Creek InfoNet

©2003 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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