AntiSpam Guide
Why Do We Need Anti-Spam Software?
from: Robert Michael
Spam, otherwise known as junk email or unsolicited commercial email; is quickly becoming on of the most prevalent complaints of internet users. Not only is it annoying, but it is quickly becoming a dangerous and potentially expensive problem for businesses as well as individuals.
How is it dangerous?
First and foremost, spam is one of the leading causes for clogged networks and slow connections. American Online, one of the nation's largest internet service providers; transmits over 8 trillion spam email messages a year. Those messages tie up valuable bandwidth and can slow down entire networks. Although end users will rarely see a significant change in their connections, they can rest assured that a noteworthy portion of their monthly bill is paying for that lost bandwidth.
Most spam includes images or weblinks within it commercial content. Although some of it is begin or at worst annoying, an increasing portion contains sexually explicit content. Spam messages frequently contain pornographic pictures or links to sex-related websites.
These messages are not suited for children yet can easily be accidentally opened by minors. In addition to simple sexual content, some of the most severely sexually explicit spam can contain images of such illegal and offensive acts such as bestiality or child pornography.
Aside from slowing connections or carrying unwanted pornography, spam is the leading cause of transmitted computer viruses. Computer viruses are programs which run malicious code which can damage computer systems, delete files and steal personal information. These viruses are often hidden in an email messages as attachments such as a pictures. Email transmitted viruses can render entire systems inoperable and delete important documents forever.
How can you stop it?
The easiest and most simple way to stop unwanted email is to employ a spam blocker. Spam blockers are manufactured by a variety of companies and be anywhere from free to costing upwards of 50$.
There are three basic types of spam blocking software. The first is a key-word blocker. These programs examine the header and body of an email message looking for a series of predefined criteria. For example, a program could be instructed to flag or block any email message containing the word "sex".
Although seemingly straightforward, the spam blocker also has to stop any spelling variation of sex such as sexx or s_e_x. Although this type of spam blocker can do very well at stopping spam, it also has a tendency to block personal emails which may or may not contain flagged words.
The second type of spam blocker is an address list blocker which blocks or flags any emails not coming from a predefined list of addresses (such as the user's address book).
Although this type of spam blocker does a very good job of not blocking personal emails from friends or family, it can inadvertently delete important messages from users not on the original predefined list. This can make it very easy to miss potentially important yet unexpected emails.
The third type of spam blocker is actually a hybrid of the aforementioned varieties. It will filter emails from known friendly accounts directly to the inbox while holding potentially dangerous emails in the filter. The user can then go in and sort through emails from either friendly strangers (non spam emails from unfamiliar addresses) or unfriendly strangers (spam emails from unfamiliar addresses).
Although these programs do require a slight amount of user interaction, they can protect your computer and keep you from inadvertently deleting important emails.
About the author:
Robert Michael is a writer for Lib Antispam which is an excellent place to find antispam links, resources and articles. For more information go to: http://www.libantispam.com
For permanent link to this article click here.
Related story:
Phishing Scams - Why They Work and How to Protect Yourself
from: Debbie JacobsenWhy does Phishing Work?
As an information technology professional, I am very much aware of the dangers that lurk on the internet. I always use extreme caution when checking email and browsing to websites I don't know anything about, because I know how quickly spyware can install on any computer - including mine. I'm ashamed to say that I nearly fell victim to a phishing scam I received this morning at work, which made me realize just how easy it is to get taken in by cyber-criminals. Here's how it happened:
As I hurriedly sorted through three days worth of emails, deleting spam and opening anything that looked important, I casually opened an email from Ebay telling me that I had an unpaid item which resulted in a strike against me. My first reaction ...
To read the rest of this story click here.
Block Email Free Spam News
Google (GOOG) Launches Gmail Priority Inbox - Investorplace.com
 New York Times (blog) | Google (GOOG) Launches Gmail Priority Inbox Investorplace.com Spam filters from competing services like AOL and Hotmail tended to block both spam and legitimate emails, frustrating users more than helping them. ... Google tool tries to cut through e-mail clutter |
Eight great virtual appliances for VMware, free for the downloading - NetworkWorld.com
Eight great virtual appliances for VMware, free for the downloading NetworkWorld.com AS Communication Gateway provides a complete email security solution, removing known and unknown threats like spam, phishing, worms, and Trojans without ... |
New release-IP2Location.com provides free services to block and deny visitors ... - PRLog.Org (press release)
New release-IP2Location.com provides free services to block and deny visitors ... PRLog.Org (press release) The content should be looked like below: Please feel free to visit ip2location.com for the free blocking by country service at ... |
Download Avast! Internet Security 5.0.656 Beta / 5.0.594 Free Trial / Full Version - Soft Sailor (blog)
Download Avast! Internet Security 5.0.656 Beta / 5.0.594 Free Trial / Full Version Soft Sailor (blog) ... uses rules to allow or block applications and manages file sharing. The antispam module filter email messages and blocks all spam emails. ... |
Download Quick Heal Total Security 2010 11.00 (4.0.0.1) Free Trial / Full Version - Soft Sailor (blog)
 Soft Sailor (blog) | Download Quick Heal Total Security 2010 11.00 (4.0.0.1) Free Trial / Full Version Soft Sailor (blog) The email protection ensures that all spam, phishing attack and junk emails are blocked, creates and uses black and whitelists to automatically allow or ... |