Hi Guys,
Thanks for the interest. I'll try to clarify things. There's no application, it's a procedure.
A moniker is just a nickname or identifying mark. I use it as a crude form of authentication, like the wax impressed with a dignitary's unique symbol used to seal a document in Medieval times. I created a small graphic file with MS Paint containing a unique symbol that my family and friends can identify as being associated with me.
Whenever I send someone an e-mail with one or more attachments, I always include the moniker. If recipients display e-mail in HTML format, the moniker is prominently displayed in the body of the message; if they display it in text format, they can recognize the filename. In either case, if anyone receives an e-mail from me with only one attachment, they know immediately to be suspicious. In that event, the 3 most likely reasons are: the e-mail has a spoofed sender address, it was sent by someone infected with a worm that got my e-mail address from their address book, contact list, etc, or I myself have been infected :'(.
Because I realize that most people would just be confused by the presence of the extra attachment, I created a signature that explains why it is there and what its presence or absence means. The signature also specifies the total number of attachments, including the moniker. That way, if a worm manages to piggy-back on an otherwise legitimate e-mail, the recipients are alerted that something isn't kosher. I always insert this signature along with the moniker.
A worm propagating through e-mail or a stranger pretending to be me wouldn't be able do this.
The use of a graphic moniker is overkill, admittedly. A simple text string or even using the signature by itself would suffice. But, I use the graphic as an attention getter and the explanation in the signature in the hopes that it promotes the practice.
Regards,
Hornus