First of all, I'd like to mention a Suite101.com event that I am currently running - the PC Buyers Guide. This event is for those of you who are new to the Internet and/or PC's.
The event contains articles you would expect such as information on various PC components but I hope it will also feature articles from "non IT" people as well. At some time or another we have all been newbies and there where things that we found out later on (usually the hard way!), where we sat an thought "If only I knew THAT when I started out!"
I hope that if you have some examples of useful information like this that you can share with others that you will submit an article. After all, Suite101.com is all about sharing information with each other.
Melissa
So they think they have found the person responsible for spreading the Melissa virus. A possible 40 year prison term and a fine of up to $480,000. The miscreant was "captured" by information supplied by AOL technicians who were able to find out where the person logged on to the Internet.
This brings me to my point. You are never certain of what "tracks" you leave behind whilst surfing the Internet (or using Internet services such as news groups). It should be a lesson to anyone thinking about carrying out such things on the Internet - you never know who is watching or, to be more precise, what is being logged!
Another point worth mentioning is the comparative ease with which Melissa was programmed. With "wizards" to help you write macros, it does not take a hardened programmer to produce something that can effect everyone.
Perhaps Microsoft should look at the comparative ease with which Melissa spread. Yes, it is extremely useful for a programmer to carry out "behind the scenes work" whilst processing, say, an email. The advent of Microsoft Office has meant that each application talks to another in a common language (Visual Basic). This makes development of sophisticated systems much easier, quicker and cheaper to produce - but at what cost when used maliciously?
Clearly, more security needs to be available within Windows and its' applications.
Security
I remember installing Windows 95 on my system. It asked me a log on ID. Good I thought - I could keep others out of my machine. Imagine my horror when I clicked "Cancel" on the log on screen only to find that I still went into Windows and still had access to the files, folders and programs on my hard disk!
