PC Advice

Spam

Recently I ran across statistics showing that roughly 70% of the electronic mail traffic being generated today is spam, or Unsolicited Commercial Email. That's a lot of wasted bits, network bandwidth, and time for no good reason. Many people and companies have tried to put a lid on the problem, but it's very difficult for several reasons.

First, let's define spam as "a message from a company or agency with which you have never done business, offering or soliciting a product of any type." This definition excludes the buddy who insists (despite his ISP's terms of service) on sending out chain letters and "dying boy wants postcards" urban legends, and the annoying relative who insists on mailing huge, uncompressed copies of her baby photos to everyone she can think of. Spam comes from anonymous or commercial sources, and is often sent using hijacked machines whose owners are unaware of the abuse.

How Do They Know Who I Am?

Spammers harvest addresses using a variety of methods:

If you put your address on a Web site, or post to a chat group that posts the sender's address as part of the message, someone's software will pick it up and add it to a spam database. This uses the same method search engines use when looking for content. For spammers, anything with an "@" embedded in it has a high probability of being a mail address.
Another method involves spyware or virus software that covertly scans compromised systems for Outlook or other address-book files, which are then transmitted back to the spammer's site.
Some mail server software is insecure, and responds to address-verification requests from anyone who asks. Another method involves connecting to random systems and using thousands of verification commands against lists of common names (e.g. "verify Smith" and "verify Jones"). If the server responds with a valid address for Smith or Jones, that response is recorded and added to the spammer's database.
Spammers hack into other companies' user databases using various methods in order to steal lists of customers and employees, which often include their addresses.
Finally, spammers set up fake sites where they ask for registration information. Users blithely enter their name, address, and other personal details, and are automatically added to the spammer's list.

How Do I Protect Myself?

The best way to avoid being spammed is to limit the exposure of your address. If a site asks for registration information, make sure it's a valid company or organization before you divulge personal details of any type (as an aside, any site that asks for Social Security or other ID numbers should be treated with extreme caution). Don't post your address on a Web site where everyone can see it unless it's absolutely necessary.

One trick I occasionally use involves a "throwaway" mail address that's only used when registering on sites I don't particularly care about, or when posting to a public forum that's guaranteed to be used by spammers when harvesting addresses. I register for a free mail account at one of the major providers, then use this address for site registration purposes until it's bombarded with spam. Then I close the account and create a new one.

Make sure your machine is well protected by antivirus and anti-spam software, along with a good firewall and other data-protection software. Encourage friends and relatives to do the same, since they probably keep your address in their personal address books where it's a prime target for spyware.

Last, never respond to "opt out" messages from companies you've never heard of. These are often sent by spammers while trolling for valid addresses; if you reply, they know they've found an active address and you'll be added to their lists. Spammers aren't nice people; they're thieves and you should never believe they're businesspeople looking for a break. Valid businesses don't steal addresses or misuse other peoples' systems.

Free Scan

PL Spam Controls will catch spam and phishing emails using pattern recognition technology automatically so that you don't have to waste your time filtering through emails.

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