CONTENTS FEATURE: The real culprits of virus vandalism WORD POWER: Strengthen your vocabulary SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FEATURE: Virus vandalism: the real culprits are carelessness and curiosity      The recent swarm of computer viruses and worms transmitted by e-mail was annoying, disruptive, costly—and easily preventable. The electronic assaults succeeded not only by capitalizing on deficiencies in certain e-mail software, but also by taking advantage of human weaknesses: curiosity and carelessness. If more computer users had been diligent in discarding virus-bearing messages without opening and activating the attached files, the viruses would not have spread as they did.      The vandalism of virus writers threatens to diminish the viability of e-mail as a reliable communication medium. Business organizations must respond by enforcing strict conventions governing the formatting and content of e-mail correspondence. Here are some guidelines to consider. Subject field      The most important element of any e-mail message is the "subject" title. It equates to the headline in a newspaper article or the title of a book. If your subject line doesn't command attention—or if it could be mistaken for "spam" junk mail—your recipient may delete it without ever reading it. Yet people hurriedly sending an e-mail message may inattentively pound out a nebulous title: "Hi" or "Research" or "Friday"—or worse yet, leave the subject field blank.      The vandals who propagate viruses use clever, provocative subject terms such as "Re: your application" or "Details" or "Approval" or "Thank you." The subject lines of legitimate e-mail messages must be specific and clearly relate to an activity in which your recipient is involved. Pack your subject line with enough information to help your recipient distinguish it from a message sent by a spammer or one generated by a virus. Use specific subjects: "Question about your grant application" or "Details for Friday budget session" or "Rick's report needs your approval" or "Thank you for recommending Fran."      Learn to recognize obvious scams, such as the recent e-mail message purportedly from Microsoft with the subject "Use this patch immediately!" The message was accompanied by a file named "patch.exe". Microsoft and other software publishers do not distribute patches by e-mail, but rather direct users to the "downloads" area of their Web sites. The sender forged the "from" field so that the message appeared to come from Microsoft.      Don't use a "$" symbol in your subject line because some spam filters may automatically route your message to the trash along with the "$14.95 hair growth formula" ads. Instead of "$875 in donations this weekend," write "Excellent donations this weekend" and save the precise figure for the body of your message. Likewise, avoid advertising pitch terms such as "free," "save," "invest," "rates," "payments" or "guaranteed". "From" field      Configure your e-mail application so that your full name (and not just your e-mail address) automatically appears in the "from" field in messages that you send. Recipients may not immediately recognize you by your e-mail address alone, particularly if have multiple e-mail accounts. Message confirmation      When you receive a message that you welcome, acknowledge it—let the sender know you received it. Such confirmation has little to do with viruses, but everything to do with courtesy. E-mail message display      Configure your e-mail application so that its "list" view reveals which incoming messages have attached files before you open them. Include context      Make certain your reply to an inquiry includes context so your recipient knows which question you're answering. A message saying "No, I'll take care of it myself" may be confusing if more than a day passed before answering the question, or if more than one question was raised.      Include a few quoted lines from the message that provoked the question, or elaborate sufficiently in your response: "We don't need to ship the drawings to Fallon. I'll be driving there tomorrow, so I'll take them with me."      Maintain your guard. A funny animated file that a friend forwards to you may without his knowledge contain a virus that attacks files on your hard drive or compromises the security of your data. Always be suspicious of attachments with certain file extensions: .bat (batch file, which contains a sequence of commands for a computer operating system); .exe (executable file—a program); .pif (program information file containing data to execute an application on a Microsoft Windows system); .scr (screensaver or script written in Visual Basic or Java); .vbs (script file written in Microsoft Visual Basic); .hta (HTML file used by viruses to gain access to a computer's operating system); .reg (registration file, which controls aspects of the Windows operating system or applications). About viruses, worms and Trojan horses      Computer viruses are so named because they replicate themselves, as biological viruses do. Often concealed within games or images distributed on the Internet, viruses can modify other programs and compromise data or your computer's system integrity.      Computer worms are actual programs that burrow into the active memory segment of a computer, where they may carry out unauthorized functions.      A Trojan horse is not technically a virus because it does not replicate itself, but it is destructive nevertheless. A Trojan horse appears to be a benign program but may alter or destroy data.      Because of its prevalence, Microsoft Windows is the preferred target of the hackers who produce viruses and worms. The Linux operating system and Apple Macintosh computers (which EditPros uses) are impervious to most of the virus activity.      Be cautious about opening mail purportedly from a "Mail Delivery Subsystem" with the subject line "Returned mail: see transcript for details." Such a message may appear to be an automated alert from an e-mail server about an undeliverable message. But before opening it, check to make sure it's not a fraudulent message with an attachment riding piggyback on it.      You also may receive legitimate notices that e-mail with your return address was rejected because it contained an attached virus. Don't panic—your computer may not necessarily have a virus. That message may not have originated from you, but rather from the virus-infected computer of someone else whose e-mail address book contains your e-mail address. The virus may have instructed that computer to send out mail that appeared to be from each of the names found in its e-mail address book.      Likewise, you may receive a virus file appearing to come from someone you know and trust. The file actually may have been sent by another computer. If the message or attachment doesn't appear to be something your acquaintance would have sent, use caution.      Some well-meaning people claim that you can dissuade virus writers from "hijacking" your e-mail application by creating a phony name in your address book—either "!0000" or "AAAAAA," without an associated e-mail address. The notion is that this bogus contact will appear first in your address list, and it would thus thwart any virus that issues a "send all" command by making your address book appear invalid. But Symantec, a developer of virus detection software, has warned against relying on that approach because it may work only with older viruses.      Obtain the latest upgrades for your operating system, virus-scanning, Web browser and e-mail applications. Frequently visit the Web sites of your software vendors and download the latest security patches and "virus definitions" for your virus monitoring software. Configure your virus checker to scan all incoming e-mail attachments and files that you download from the Web or from FTP servers, and delete all suspicious files.      Make sure that your e-mail application does not automatically activate attachments or run JavaScript or Java applets contained in messages. If you're operating with Windows, configure it to reveal file extensions.      Urge friends who distribute jokes, political messages and other appeals to place all the addresses in the "blind carbon copy" (BCC) field. Such widely distributed messages can unintentionally deliver your e-mail address into the hands of spammers and virus writers.      Finally, protect yourself from potential data loss by backing up your active files, including valid e-mail messages, daily. Copy your data onto removable media that you keep in a separate location. As an added precaution, alternate two or more backup discs. And add firewall protection by installing a router between your computer and your Internet connection.      Be diligent about preventing viruses from invading your computer. The integrity of e-mail as a business communication medium is at stake. Yes! EditPros scans all discs and files to ensure freedom from viruses and worms. WORD POWER: Strengthen your vocabulary Entitled: That's a verb form relating to a right that is conferred—an entitlement. A person may be entitled to perform an action—as in "her expertise entitles her to command respect". Obviously, an inanimate object cannot be entitled; the proper adverb relating to the name of a published work is "titled." No book is "entitled" Cannery Row. However, John Steinbeck wrote a book titled Cannery Row. SPOTLIGHT: EditPros clients in the news HumanWare rolls back price of VoiceNote data assistant      Pulse Data HumanWare has temporarily reduced the price of its VoiceNote personal data assistant (PDA) by $300. VoiceNote is the world's most advanced PDA for visually impaired people. The lightweight, portable VoiceNote is packed with powerfully integrated features that students, working professionals and retirees find essential for independent, daily task completion.      Now through this Sept. 30, VoiceNote is on sale for just $1,999. Its built-in Keysoft 5 software enables blind users to: Exchange e-mail with sighted co-workers; Download books from bookshare.org; Transfer files to and from printers and other computers with built-in infrared connectivity; Listen to MP3 audio files.      VoiceNote includes KeyWeb, the first Internet browser designed for visually impaired PDA users. Using a 56k modem or ethernet connection through an office network, users can visit Web sites, click on links, research information, and make purchases via the Internet.      Its built-in Duxbury Translator performs text-braille translations, and its KeySync utility enables remarkably seamless information exchange between sighted and blind persons. VoiceNote is half the size and weight of a laptop computer, with about 10 times the battery life—sufficient to last throughout the day.      Rehabilitation and educational counselors, as well as consumers, are invited to call (800) 722-3393 or visit the HumanWare Web site for more information. Net Notes: Captivating Internet resources Symantec list of latest virus threats http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/vinfodb.html      Symantec Security Response classifies and describes circulating viruses, identifies the date on which each threat surfaced, and the date on which Symantec added a "virus definition" to protect against the threat. Symantec Inc., a developer of computer diagnostic and virus detection and repair software under the Norton brand, is based in Cupertino, Calif. F-Secure information center http://www.securitymanager.com/virus-info/tips.shtml      Here's another resource containing reports of virus activity and advice to protect against damaging effects. The site is operated by F-Secure Corporation, a developer of anti-virus, file encryption and network security software applications. F-Secure, which is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, has a North American main office in San Jose, Calif. Television Program Episode Guides http://www.epguides.com/      Just for a kick, visit this site, which contains exhaustive episode lists for more than 2,000 TV shows dating to 1949. The list encompasses hugely popular as well as obscure shows, including Adventures of Superman (from 1952), Science Fiction Theatre (1955), the Real McCoys (1957), Yancy Derringer (1958), the Outer Limits (1963), Hogan's Heroes (1965), Night Gallery (1969), Ellery Queen (1975), Family Ties (1982), Northern Exposure (1990), Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) and Alias (2001). Each list contains titles of individual episodes and the date on which each first aired. More detailed information, including guest stars and plot summaries, is available for than 500 of those shows. Have fun! YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. We respond to all "grammar coach" questions personally, but delays may occur because we must place top priority on assignments from our clients. We appreciate your patience and your interest.      You also can change your e-mail subscription address. For an address change, please indicate your existing AND your new e-mail address. Thank you. OUR PRIVACY POLICY for e-mail newsletter subscribers:      We do not use any commercial e-mail lists or automated mass-mailing programs, and we do not allow access to the list by anyone else for any reason. Our subscriber list is maintained by hand, and it is not for sale. We are protective of confidentiality because many of our readers are also clients of ours. Any accompanying advertising is placed by Yahoo.com in exchange for our use of the e-mail server to distribute this newsletter.