The proposed invention solves the problem of spoofing the origin to create e-mail spam, virus distribution, and other abuse of the electronic mail. In particular, it solves a notoriously dangerous problem of distributing computer viruses via e-mail allegedly sent from friends, colleagues, and well-respected organizations. The proposed invention defines a comprehensive set of mechanisms and apparatus to reasonably ensure that an e-mail message--when received by an e-mail gateway, e-mail relay server, or the destination e-mail server--has originated at the location and sent by a person (or a program) specified in its "From:" field.