Flashes of Panic

There was an afully weird collection of links and news on my radar screen this morning.

There was yesterday’s NY Times story on something we’ve seen a good bit of here, “Online Swindlers, Called ‘Phishers,’ Are Luring Unwary.” Remember, AOL help desk people will never ask for your password.

And the condescending (and somewhat dated) spoof, “Welcome to the Internet Helpdesk.”

Yet despite all this, “For Some Internet Users, It’s Better Late Than Never.”

Once largely written off as a lost cause, older Americans are now coming into their own as Internet users. … “People are continuing to learn and stay mentally active instead of vegetating,” [Leonard Krauss] said.

What I want to know is, what’s the rate of virus and worm infection among new internet users (of whatever age) relative to the internet population at large? (Yes, that’s bitterness talking; I am, in general, in favor of people learning new things.)