PC Security – Fighting Spam

Do you hate Spam as much as I do?  How common is Spam?  Does everyone get it or am I  the only lucky one?  It doesn’t look like I am alone in getting massive amounts of spam emails.

According to Scott McAdams, OMA Public Affairs and Communications Department (www.oma.org): “Studies show unsolicited or “junk” e-mail, known as spam, accounts for roughly half of all e-mail messages received. Although once regarded as little more than a nuisance, the prevalence of spam has increased to the point where many users have begun to express a general lack of confidence in the effectiveness of e-mail transmissions, and increased concern over the spread of computer viruses via unsolicited messages.”

Well it looks like I’m not the only one getting hit with as many spam emails as emails that I actually want to get.

What About The “Can Spam” Law

In 2003, President Bush signed the  “Can Spam” bill, in December of 2003 which is the first national standards around bulk unsolicited commercial e-mail.  The bill forbids senders of unsolicited commercial e-mail from using false return addresses to disguise their identity (spoofing). It also prohibits the use of misleading subject lines and requires that emails include a way to opt-out.  One thing that I noticed about this opt-out option is that if the email is Spam, the only thing opting out does is let the violator know that they have a good email address and before you know it your inbox is receiving even more spam than before.  The legislation also prohibits senders from harvesting addresses from websites. Violators will be charged with a misdemeanor crime  and subject to up to one year in jail. 

How well has the “Can Spam” law worked?

Well, I can only speak for myself but it hasn’t changed a thing with my inbox.  I get just as much spam email today as I did before the bill passed.  The reason is because spam is now coming from other countries in ever-greater numbers. These emails are harder to fight, because they come from outside our country’s laws and regulations.  Because the Internet opens borders and thinks globally, these laws are fine and good, but do not stop the problem.

So what do you do about this? 

Her are the top 5 Rules to do to protect yourself from spam.

  1.  Do what you can to avoid having your email address out on the net.   There are products called “spam spiders” that search the Internet for email addresses to send email to.  If you are interested, do a search on “spam spider” and you will be amazed at what you get back.  Interestingly, there is a site, WebPoison.org, which is an open source project geared to fight Internet “spambots” and “spam spiders”.
  2. Get spam blocking software.  There are many programs out there for this.  (go to www.cloudmark.com or www.mailwasher.net for example).  You may also buy a professional version.  Getting the spam blocking software will save you time.  The blocking software is not foolproof, but they really do help.  You usually have to do some manual set up to block certain types of spam email.
  3. Use the multiple email address approach. There are a lot of free email addresses to be had.  If you must subscribe to newsletters, then have a “back-up” email address. I use this method myself and it works pretty well.  I have one email address that I use to get just newsletters and stuff like that and I have another email address that I use if I even think that I may get a bunch of unwanted spam and I have a third email address that I give out to only my trusted friends and associates.
  4. Attachments from people you don’t know are BAD, BAD, BAD.  Actually, attachments from people that you do know can also be bad if you didn’t ask for it.  A common problem with spam is that they have attachments and attachments can have viruses embedded in them.  General rule of thumb:  if you do not know who is sending you something, DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT.  Secondly, look for services that offer filtering. Firewall vendors offer this type of service as well.
  5. Email services now have “bulk-mail” or “junk” baskets.  If what you use currently does not support this, think about moving to a new email service.  The concept is simple.  If you know someone, they can send you emails.  If you don’t know them, put them in the bulk email pile and you then “choose” to allow them into your circle by white listing them.  Spam Blocking software has this concept as well, but having extra layers seems critical these days, so it is worth looking into.

I wish I could say that you can eliminate all spam but it looks like it’s here to stay.  I’m glad that the “Cam Spam” bill was passed but I feel that it only keeps the honest people honest and the violators will just find a way around it and continue to send junk.