SPAM CONTROL
What is Spam?
Spamming is the abuse of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages. It can apply to messages sent to mobile phones as text messages, junk fax transmissions, or emails. Most spam messages are commercial advertising, often for dubious products like ‘get-rich-quick schemes’ ‘adult products’ or ‘quasi-legal services’.
Email Spam
E-mail spam is the practice of sending unwanted e-mail messages, frequently with commercial content, in large quantities to an indiscriminate set of recipients. Email spam lists are often created by scanning Internet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching the Web for addresses.
What can you do about SPAM?
There are several ways of preventing spam entering your computer systems and damaging your files, following these self help tips below will help ensure the safety of your computer.
1) Be careful with your e-mail address. As mentioned earlier it is nearly impossible to avoid ending up on a spammers list. What you can do though is to try and limit the amount of spam you do get by being careful with giving out your email address. For example, you may be asked for your email address on a web form but if it is not a compulsory field or you are not familiar with the website then don’t give it out. Similarly, think before you make you make your email address publicly available by commenting on website blogs, chatrooms or social sites.
2) Don’t post your website address on your own website.
If you have a website then try not to post your e-mail address on the site. A better alternative is to use a web form for people to contact you, that way the spammers cannot harvest your address from your site.
3) Don’t respond to spam e-mail
When you do receive spam (And it is definitely spam), never respond to it. If you do you are letting the spammers know that your e-mail address is live and active. They can then continue to spam you or even sell on your address to other spammers! This doesn’t apply of course if the e-mail was from a well known company such as Amazon, responding to their e-mail asking them to remove you from their list will work fine.
4) Never buy anything from a spammer!
This is the big one! Never buy anything from spam e-mail. You are only helping the spammers to send out more e-mail and make money from it! Remember most spammers are criminals using stolen details and forged e-mail addresses.
5) Get a spam filter or spam blocker
Even people who occasionally use the Internet now need a spam filter. Many people use downloaded software to protect themselves from spam email.
How do Spam Filters work?
Once you’re on the spammers’ list a SPAM filter may be your only realistic defence against unwanted email. Spam filters are programs designed to filter out spam from your inbox by using a combination of the following methods;
Header filters
Header filters examine the headers of each e-mail to determine any signs of forgery. Many spammers forge these headers to hide their locations or identities. A header contains the recipient, sender, and subject fields, as well as information about the servers that delivered the e-mail, also called the relay chain. A good header filter can detect a falsified header. However, not all spammers forge this information.
Header filters can also analyze the header of a message and compare it to a known list of spammers. If the message matches up to a blacklisted source, you won-t receive the e-mail.
Language filters
Language filters hold back any e-mail that is not written in your language of choice. If you don’t communicate with anyone in a different language, this tool could filter out unwanted messages.
Content filters
Content filters are based on a very general set of rules that analyse the text of an e-mail to determine whether or not it’s spam. Unfortunately, these filters can hold back newsletters and other e-mail that you actually want to read.
White lists and blacklists
Many anti-spam programs allow you to set up white lists of acceptable e-mail addresses. The filter will automatically allow all messages from any source on this list. Some programs offer blacklist capability as well, giving you the opportunity to block e-mail from specific sites or users.
Permission filters
Permission filters block all e-mail that doesn’t come from a source that you have authorized for access to your system. The permission filter is a form of challenge response system, meaning that it challenges the origin of the message and requires a response from the sender. The filter then verifies it against a predetermined list of safe sources.
PS4B Recommended SPAM Solution:
One of the most effective SPAM Filters available at the moment is Cloudmark. Cloudmark provides a comprehensive messaging security solutions that enable service providers and mobile operators to prevent messaging abuse from impacting their infrastructure, operations and subscribers.. As a result of its unrivaled accuracy and performance, Cloudmark has emerged as the most widely-integrated messaging security solution on carrier infrastructures worldwide.
... For a free trial of Cloudmark Spam Filter, call PS4B on 024 7622 4040
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