I was trying to buy a plane ticket online and bumped into something called the DHS TRIP. I once had some problems at airport security when the TSA people found a match for my name on one of their watch lists, and understand it's a way for me to avoid that problem in the future, but can you explain how it works, Dave?...

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Many people have their computer unprotected by a password, so that when you turn on the computer, Windows loads up automatically without the user having to type any password to gain access to the computer. If you decide you want to put a password on the computer after all, here's how to do it....

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I swear someone's logging into my Google Gmail account and reading my email. I know it should be impossible, but I dunno. Is there some way to check and see if that's happening?...

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After two of my friends had information stolen from them through public wireless networks, I'm completely paranoid. Is there some way to connect to Google's Gmail service securely?...

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Seems like not a week goes by without some sort of story in the paper about a computer security breech, identity theft, or scams or other rip-offs. It's enough to make one avoid shopping online, except that it's so darn convenient! What's your opinion? Should I avoid shopping online entirely, or are there tips you can offer on how to stay safe while still going to the virtual mall?...

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Dave, I know that identity theft is a problem, but someone told me the other day that there are five major kinds of Identity theft. Then they got busy with something, and it left me confused. Isn't identity theft just identity theft?...

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I am anxious that I've been a victim of identity fraud: I just got an email from some mortgage broker indicating that I'd been approved for a refinance of our home, but I didn't apply for anything like that! I figure it's some scam, but they showed the amount of our original home loan and that's made me jumpy. Am I a victim or what?...

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Hey Dave! How does secure SSL actually work and if all these sites are using this much vaunted https/SSL security, how come they still get customer data ripped off?...

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Okay, I'm a bit puzzled. I just got an email from a Web site I've never heard of before asking me for my birthday so my "friend" can complete "their horoscope", but I have no idea who "they" are. Is this legit email or should I be suspicious of this sort of solicitation for personal information?...

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