Spam - You're History

While the Internet has brought many advantages to businesses around the world, it is increasingly impossible to log on to your e-mail these days without finding your in-box inundated with spam.

 

While less offensive and dangerous than the work of hackers, e-mail spamming is an annoying activity.  Generally, spamming is the widespread distribution of unsolicited e-mails.

 

Spam means more downloading time for your e-mail.  While it may take only a second or two with a high speed connection, it takes considerably more time with a dial-up service.  This lost productivity is exacerbated when you must carefully review all e-mails before opening them to separate the valid ones from the suspicious ones that should go directly to the trash bin.  Spam mail can also create traffic jams (also referred to DOS or denial of service) when spammers flood an Internet service provider (ISP) with messages to slow down or interrupt service.

 

Dealing with Spam

As a first line of defense, do not open spam or suspicious e-mails.  Delete them.  While many of these e-mails are sent to advertise products and services, some may have a malicious intent such as spreading virus infections through attachments or collecting e-mail addresses that you have stored on your computer.

 

Managing Spam

How can you protect your system from spam and reduce the nuisance of this unwanted junk mail?

 

Your e-mail software can be configured to work with your virus scanner to protect your system from viruses as well as suppress spamming.

 

Your e-mail software can be set to automatically isolate and quarantine spam and other suspicious e-mails and e-mail attachments so that you can review them and decide which ones are legitimate.

 

Your ISP may provide spam management services for a reasonable monthly fee or as part of a bundled package.

 

If you have only one PC, you can purchase and install a spam filter program; however, the ISP’s spam services may be a better solution.

 

If you are using a corporate e-mail system on your network, the systems administrator should be responsible for implementing the spam filters.  It is easier for the filter to be maintained centrally than for employees to have this software on their individual PCs.

 

Spam Tools

Rule-based tools require that the user must train the system by providing details about junk-mail attributes that are not acceptable.  The approach could be as specific as names, or as general as specific phrases, prices, or key words common to junk e-mail.

 

Permission-based tools provide the highest degree of spam reduction.  The permission-based approach requires that only e-mail that you have listed as acceptable will be permitted.  There are two downsides.  You must add contacts to your list before they send an e-mail and if you do not regularly update your list, important messages may be rejected. Obviously, this is a very high maintenance tool.

 

Challenge response filtering means that when you receive e-mail from an unknown, your system sends back a request to which the sender must reply before the e-mail is accepted.  Since only people will reply to this request and not automated and anonymous spam systems, you effectively defeat the mass e-mail that clogs your system.  However, the downside is that you will not receive announcements from senders such as suppliers and associations as they also use automated systems.

 

The spam filtering services provided by ISPs are constantly being upgraded to enhance the rule-based tools that filter junk e-mail by sampling the junk e-mail that is within their user base and updating the filtering ability.

 

The purchased software, on the other hand, requires the user to train the software to identify and block or segregate spam. Obviously, having your own software requires a great deal of maintenance if it is to remain effective.

 

Spam Software

Generally, the spam filter bundled in a security package is not as effective as a stand-alone product.

 

Here are some of the purchase considerations:

• False positives - A low rate of false positives means the program will not mistake legitimate mail for spam.  To do this, the program must provide adequate filtering levels.  However, the more filtering levels the program offers, the more technical expertise you will need.

• Filtering - Programs that filter in general categories such as low, medium and high are not as effective as those that can be more finely tuned, resulting in a high percentage of false positives.  The better programs offer as many as five levels of filtering for junk mail with the toughest parameter allowing only e-mail from those listed in the user’s address book.

• Compatibility - The spam program must be compatible with the system’s communications software, such as Outlook.

• Review folder - Some programs store all spam in a review folder so that you can review for false positives.  This prevents legitimate e-mail from being rejected.