Spam was once just clutter in your inbox; now it is a commonly used vehicle for fraud, electronic crime and even corporate espionage. The 4 Ws of spam answer the most commonly asked questions about spam. What is Spam? Spam, also called junk email, is generally defined in the Internet industry as unsolicited commercial email … Read more
The volume of spam that is sent out every minute of the day has reached pandemic proportions. The simple reason for this is because the cost to a spammer ranges from zero to negligible. In fact, anyone with a list of email addresses and Internet access can spam thousands, even millions of people with a … Read more
As spam filters get increasingly effective, spammers are changing their tactics to foil anti-spam software and get through to your inbox. Recently, this has involved a shift from the use of text-based spam to the use of embedded images and PDF file attachments as the preffered delivery method for their spammy intrusions. Image Spam The … Read more
In the early days of the Internet, spammers primarily targeted newsgroups on USENET, the online conferencing system. These are newsgroups that are organized as forums to discuss particular topics. As electronic messaging systems advanced, it made possible the practice of crossposting – posting the exact same message to multiple newsgroups and other online forums. Spammers … Read more
It is virtually impossible to avoid having your email address end up on a spammer’s mailing list. You can, however, take steps to minimize the amount of spam that you receive. Here are to top five: Address Munging Never, ever post your permanent email address publicly online. Posting it on a website, on USENET, or … Read more
The threats posed by spam are always evolving, and phishing is one of the most recent scams the spammers have come up with. Your most important protection against phishing is vigilance and a healthy skepticism. You can, however, supplement this with Anti-phishing software programs Anti-phishing software works by detecting phishing content that may be contained … Read more
There are several myths and misconceptions that abound when it comes to Phishing. These are the top 5 most common ones: Myth #1 Anti-spam software can detect phishing email While anti-phishing and spam filters can decrease the number of phising emails that get into your inbox, they are not 100% effective. Whenever anti-phishing technology keeps … Read more
Never respond directly to any unsolicited email that asks you to update or verify your personal information. Banks, stores and other legitimate businesses will never ask you to give this information via email, particularly following the advent of phishing. If there is any doubt as to whether or not the email is from who it … Read more
In the race to provide the best anti-spam system to fight the ever-growing threat of spam email, there are a few which stand out among the for-pay software systems. Some are software programs, while others are web-based systems that function by sending your email through their service before it gets to you. The web-based filter … Read more
A spam blocker is one way you can effectively cope with the deluge of spam that is targeted at your inbox each day. This type of anti-spam software works by blocking any unsolicited email from getting to your inbox. It is generally about 90% effective in blocking this spam, along with any viruses and other … Read more