Evil E

Evil E is a rarely used term in computing, generally referring to situations where the capital letter "E" is employed maliciously or deceptively within a filename, variable name, or other identifier. The intention is typically to make the identifier appear similar to a common or legitimate one, while subtly differing to achieve a malicious purpose, such as bypassing security checks or hiding malicious code. This technique exploits the similarity between "E" and other characters in certain fonts or contexts.

The "evil" designation stems from the deliberate intention to mislead. It's a form of obfuscation and can be considered a type of homoglyph attack, where visually similar characters are substituted. While "Evil E" itself is not a formal or widely recognized term in computer science, it conceptually aligns with broader concerns about code clarity, security through obscurity, and the potential for malicious use of character encoding or visual deception. The potential for harm lies in the difficulty for humans (and sometimes automated systems) to immediately detect the substitution, leading to vulnerabilities. The effectiveness depends heavily on the context, the font being used, and the vigilance of the person reviewing the code or file.