7. Space Encounters
NASA found a computer virus on a laptop aboard the International Space Station, which carries about 50 computers. E-mail continues to be one of the most common distribution methods for new viruses and other malware, underscoring the need for organizations to deploy anti-virus technology at the e-mail gateway, e-mail server and end-user desktop levels.

8. Qualcomm's E-mail Cemetery
Qualcomm got smacked with an $8.5 million penalty because it bungled its own discovery of e-mail relevant to a patent lawsuit with Broadcom. As more courts require thorough discovery searches, mistakes like these will come to the forefront. ( For more on e-discovery, read Electronic Discovery: Are You Really Ready?)

9. Batting Back Backscatter
Stephen Gielda, president of Paketderm, found his servers were being inundated with a tidal wave of backscatter messages. At one point, he was being hit by 10,000 bounce back messages per second.

10. Angel-O-Lantern
Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo hit reply rather than forward when typing "disgusting" in response to a customer's e-mail. The media and the investor community noticed Mozilo's response. In fact, one investor on a Web site wrote, "I personally know people who have been destroyed by their predatory lending practices. I hope they get what they deserve. (Like their stock going to zero.)"

Says Sandra Vaughan, senior vice president of marketing and products for Proofpoint, "Given all of the potential risks and costs associated with e-mail, it's no surprise that nearly 15 percent of IT executives that Proofpoint recently surveyed said they would eliminate e-mail in their organizations if that were feasible."

Sandra Vaughan is senior vice president of marketing and products at Proofpoint, a provider of e-mail security and data loss prevention products.