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Unlike most Outlook Worms, which mail themselves to anyone in the Outlook address book, Badtran responds to unanswered mail and uses the original e-mail subject line so the receiver thinks the message is legit. Older versions of Outlook are more vulnerable since they run attached programs in a preview panel without the user even clicking on the infected attachment.

The real motive, it appears, is theft, as the worm installs a keylogger that sends credit card info and passwords to an anonymous e-mail address. All I can say is thank God for Eudora.

Getting Personal

Speaking of getting personal, search engines such as Google are apparently too good. In addition to hunting down standard Web pages, some search engines can seek out all kinds of files, such as spreadsheet and word-processing documents. So not only can hackers look at personal items you haven't stowed away, but they can look for passwords and other sensitive bits of info as well. The lesson here is don't put anything anywhere near the Internet unless you are 100 percent sure of their safety.

The Microsoft Home

I poke fun at Microsoft from time to time. It's a powerful company, and powerful people and companies demand a little more scrutiny than the average Joe does.

But one of the most impressive things about Microsoft is its unending quest to push technology into every facet of our lives. The result is cost-effective PCs, robust competition in the handheld space, a new game console that is kicking butt this holiday season, and perhaps in the coming months and years a transformation in the way we use technology in the home.

Microsoft's brand new eHome division employs many of the same folks who developed the technology that makes Bill Gates' house so unique. And the company is pretty upfront about the fact that it wants to commercialize these ideas. eHome's expected focus will be digital photography and sound -- all of course driven by Windows PCs.

You Haven't Got Mail

Been a few days since you got e-mail from Somalia? Are you wondering what's happened? Well, the Internet in that country is shut down. Somalia's only ISP has been closed because the U.S. suspects that it has been sending money to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.