You know this already but while chugging through some menus I found an interesting feature of Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail spam blocking to help. ..
Spamdexing is the practice of manipulating the natural results of search engines to artificially inflate the positions of a webpage. It is a common practice which both bred it’s own industry and saw the rise of internet giant google.
The first search engines were very simple affairs which simply looked for pages with a targeted keyword and listed results based on simple algorithms. Once people started investigating the results generated by these search engines it became a relatively simple process of developing webpages designed specifically to exploit weaknesses in them. In the Mid 1990’s this was a common practice and as a result even now we see pages which have spammed keywords all through them in an attempt to out rank the opposition. If a page wanted to be indexed under specific search terms they would frequently display these terms in the same color as the background – making them visible to search engine spiders, but not to real surfers. This practice was common in gateway pages which showed up highly ranked in search engines, but had no purpose but to flow traffic to another page.
It’s amazing to think that Google only started in 1997, and in ten years have come to dominate nearly every corner of the internet. This domination was achieved largely through a search engine designed to see through these simple spamdexing tricks, and deliver the results people wanted to see. When they started the search engine market was dominated by MSN and YAHOO, both who have been playing catchup ever since the more advanced Google algorithms granted them a massive share of the search engine market.
Spamdexing still exists in a variety of forms, but is less effective because of the importance search engines now place on delivering real relevancy. The whole search engine optimization industry has built up on the premise that it is possible to manipulate results in major search engine through a variety of factors. The kings amongst these factors are contents and links, with it being generally accepted that the more of both the better, provided the quality is good.
The negative side effect of this increased in search engine efficiency is that many websites are now built with the objective of gaining Search Engine Rankings, rather than usability or usefulness. This means email is not the only spam we sometimes have to deal with, but we may need to wade through several webpages before we find “the one we meant to get”.
The term Spam is thought to be derived from a Monte Python skit. But the fact that Spam makes up over 80 percent of emails sent isn’t that funny!
A Monte Python sketch performed in 1970 references the British rationing during World War II. SPAM was one of the only meat products that was readily available and not being rationed. Python’s sketch is set in a café and every item on the menu contains Spam lunch meat. A song repeating the word SPAM is being sung and is drowning out the waiter who is dictating the SPAM filled menu in detail.
An instance of unsolicited commercial email was originally noted in 1978. Although it seems that the idea was born years earlier when an unsolicited electronic messaging using the media occurred by telegram in 1864! In the 1980’s the term Spam started to be used to describe annoying users of early chat rooms who would repeatedly type the word Spam in an abusive manner to drive others out of the room. Especially others from rival groups surrounding said topic. They would also flood the screen with quotes from the Monte Python sketch in the same manner. Soon rather than being called flooding or trashing it became common place to refer to these methods as spamming. Later it evolved to mean excessive multiple posting of the same message. In the 1990’s we began to see the excessive amount of “get rich quick” schemes being advertised in this manner. Commercial spamming began in 1994 courtesy of two lawyers advertising their immigration law services. Shortly there after the focus of spamming and anti spam efforts moved to email and that is where the focus of this phenomenon remains today.
Most of us receive some type of Spam everyday. Spam is incredibly easy and inexpensive to create and can be very profitable. There are a number of companies set up to send “bulk e-mail”. They are able to send billions of messages a day. In the US there have been a number of lawsuits concerning Spam and laws created trying to reduce the production. Therefore, it is becoming more prevalent that these companies operate out of foreign countries. They have also changed their soliciting methods to read “spam-free” which refers to a person who has chosen to “opt-in” by clicking a box near the end of some enrollment form thereby agreeing to have updates or newsletters sent. Sometimes this box is pre checked and you must unclick in order to “opt-out”. These names are then sold to the bulk e-mailing companies.
Spam filtering software is the best technology available at the present time to reduce Spam. Spam filtering is included in most versions of anti virus software [http://www.thesoftwarespot.com/default.asp?SID=x5BBA4U3TP7GMHKX5UA9Q3&S=500&A=F&SearchText=&CategoryID=1693568&NID=6372614]. It is pretty simple for spammers to sidestep these filters simply by misspelling keywords. Also, these filters often block e-mail that you do want to receive because of key words being misinterpreted. SPAM hits other venues besides email such as instant messaging, chat rooms, newsgroups, forums, mobile phones, online games, search engines, and blogs. For the time being it looks like the only way to avoid a majority of Spam is to avoid traditional email all together. Requiring a person to fill out a form that is in turn sent to the recipient successfully blocks spammers. This is currently how many business and organizations including the White House are handling their e-mail.
The term Spam is thought to be derived from a Monte Python skit but is not received by many as being humorous. Spamming is a phenomenon that has been beneficial for some and a nuisance to the masses who make up the recipients of the billions of messages sent per day.
read before posting 1)posting first view/comment/ect will get you blocked cause its spam 2) please wait for the hd option to apper before complaining about the quality 3) negative comments will result in a block
You can recognize physical junk mail in your mailbox and quickly sort the coupons from your mortgage statement with very little effort. Bright colors, the return address, and content make it easy to do. In the same way, spam emails tend to be similar to each other in their offerings, format, and overall arrangement. Email filters were designed to do the same scanning and sorting for your inbox, leaving you out of the process. For those inundated with spam, this becomes a necessary practice to manage email in a practical way. Some people get 200-1000 or more spam emails each and every day; and sometimes more as the list of spam email addresses “gets around the net”.
Until 2002, most spam filters were Heuristic, or rule-based. Heuristic simply means a common sense rule or set of rules used to solve a problem. Heuristic filters look for patterns in the content of an email and match them against a database of known spam characteristics. These characteristics can be in the form of certain words, phrases, punctuation, and altered dates. What makes them different from most content based filters is that heuristic filters assign scores for each match and then tally the results to give the email a total score. If the score falls above a certain level, the filter assumes it is spam and takes action based on the rule that applies. Laws have been put in place to help combat spam, but you must first be willing to prosecute the sender. The most well known law is the Spam-can law that was recently adopted.
The problem with heuristic filters is that they are, at best, an educated guess. They are used when a specific algorithm cannot be applied to formulate an answer, a common problem in the field of artificial intelligence. You use common sense when sorting your mail, but a computer program cannot. So you arm the filter with those commonsense rules and hope for the best. It will not always be right. As you apply more rules, you increase the potential for false-positives (identifying legitimate mail as spam). If you keep the rules simple, the spammers can easily defeat the filter because it does not have enough information.
Also, the rules do not change as quickly as spam does because the rules are static. What may have been an appropriate rule yesterday will not suffice today. Spam that contains the phrase “mortgage refinance” will be flagged, but not “m0rtgage ref1nance” The spammers simply replaced the “o” and “i” with “0″ and “1″ knowing that the human eye will still be able to read the message. Many little chamges such as this are being incorporated by spammers every day.The filter makers responded by creating more rules to look for those types of obstructions. This has led to almost a tag team type of atmosphere where the spammers are always trying to stay one step ahead of the software.
Additionally, spammers will also test their new spam against popular heuristic filters to see if they have succeeded in getting around the rules. They may simply purchase the software themselves or use a number of websites to test their spam. These websites were developed to assist “legitimate” marketers craft their newsletters and messages in such a way as to avoid being flagged as spam. Obviously, there is no way to tell who may be legitimate when they are using this service, and it stands to reason that many of them will be spammers. They know that once they are successful it will take time for the software makers to respond.
Heuristic filters are typically easy to install and maintain. They should, however, be used in conjunction with other anti-spam techniques if too much junk mail is getting through. If potential false-positives are not an option that you are willing to accept, you will need to keep the rules simple and employ other blocking techniques, like blacklisting. Bayesian filters are similar to heuristic filters, but can learn the difference between legitimate email and spam based on your individual requirements. If basic spam protection with little fuss is what you are looking for, heuristic filters are the way to go. These filter are tried and proven through time.
Big Bang – Day By Day (Haru Haru, 하루 하루)2008.10.08 all credits goes to www.youtube.com Komapsumnida mickysshi – shut down comments, sorry – too much spam:( -
Many people in the modern world use email everyday, as a means of communication for both work and play. However, email does have its downside. Emails are the most common way to transmit computer viruses and with the spread of email use comes the spread of viruses.
Viruses
The most common way to get a computer virus is via an email attachment. Usually viruses are found in executable files, but they can also be present in images and other file types. Some viruses even email themselves to people in your own address book, so take great care opening any attachments, even from people you know.
Before you open any attachment you should scan it for viruses. There are many anti-virus programs available that will allow you to scan email attachments before they are opened. Viruses can not only destroy your computer but can attack network resources such as servers and routers. Stop them before they even have a chance to install on your computer and cause any harm.
Phishing
Phishing is a relatively new but spreading phenomenon when it comes to email security. The basic premise of a phishing email is to get you to send them personal information such as passwords which may let the phishers get hold of bank account or credit card information. Phishing emails often use the logos of well-known financial institutions and other companies to get you to trust their email.
How do you know when an email is actually from a legitimate company or is phishing for your personal info? Check the link provided; is it actually the company name used in the email? If you get an email from a supposed large corporation and the corresponding link has nothing to do with that name you can bet itís a phishing email. Also, it is rare that any company, specifically banks, will ask you to verify personal information via email.
Email Backups
Since emails can be lost just as quickly as any other data in the event of a disaster, you should always do email backups. This can be done by exporting emails into folder on your hard drive, then including that folder in your scheduled daily or weekly backups.
Let me tell you how an invasion progresses. Usually one side is the aggressor. For a while they will have things their way as the defender realises they are under attack and works to rally their defenses. If all goes well for the defender they will stop the advance of the invasion through one form or another. The invader can then either retreat if there is no profit in pressing the attack, or if there is gain in prolonging the conflict, they can look for new tactics to defeat the defender. The defender must then counter these new tactics or be over-run, and the invader must then come up with another set of new tactics, perhaps something new, or perhaps a different spin on something that has worked in the past. The problem for the defender is in identifying the invasion, accessing why the new tactics work and then countering them before the damage is too great.
The fight against spam e-mailers has been described as a war, and the above analogy holds true for it. The gain has not been removed for the spammers, so the invasion will continue. We are the defenders, and with limited resources we must counter the ever changing tactics of spammers.
One weapon at our disposal is whitelisting our friends. The whitelist concept is simple. If you want email from someone you add their name to your list of trusted sources. If their email is not on that list, you don’t receive mail from them. With a well formed whitelist you can turn every other form of spam protection off. Only mail sent from your trusted friends will ever get through. Nearly. Unfortunately it is easy to fake the sender address in an e-mail, and spammers do it as a matter of course. If they have your friends email on their list it is possible you will get faked e-mails from them, but it’s not very likely, and as the spammer constantly rotates their addresses it won’t happen very often. More of a problem is the very nature of the whitelist. You have to put in every possible address of anyone you want e-mail from. Now if you just want email to stay intouch with a few family members this will work fine, but for a broader use it is quite frustrating and will result in the highest rate of false positives possible. Then there is the possibility of one of your contacts changing e-mail address and sending you a mail from their new address, telling you their new address. With a whitelist only defense you never see that e-mail.
You can also blacklist, which is basically the opposite of a whitelist. Anyone on your blacklist you will never receive e-mail from. If spammers had even the pretension of being a legitimate business this would be a great idea. When you got a spam email you could blacklist the sender and you would never get spam from them again. Unfortunately, spammers know you don’t want their mail and have gone past the point of caring whether you want it or not. Their only goal is to get the message into your inbox. As such they long ago gave up sending from one static e-mail address. They will generate false e-mail addresses, use other addresses from their spam list and a host of tricks to hide the real sender. If you get repeated e-mails from one address, blacklisting is a good possibility. If you are dealing with a determined spammer, then it is hardly even going to slow them down.
You can filter against certain words that regularly appear in e-mails from spammers, but this has the unfortunate side effect of causing an awful lot of ‘false positives’. Because it is possible, however unlikely, that an email from a legitimate source contains this word, it results in messages you wanted to receive ending up in the junk mail folder.
The decendent of the simple filter is the Bayesian filter, which is probably the most effective single tool we have to fight spam today. The Bayesian filter assigns ‘spam scores’ to words based on how often they appear in e-mails we send to the spam folder. This personalises our spam filters to what ‘we’ consider spam. For instance someone that receives a lot of internet marketing emails would normally be blocked much of the time on the principal of the simple filter, whereas the Bayesian filter will give a lower score to the words that appear in marketing emails, allowing them through. The longer you ‘train’ a Bayesian filter, the more efficient it becomes in recognizing what is spam and what isn’t. Unfortunately spammers realize the power of the Bayesian filter and have made moves to disable it. The process of “Bayesian poisoning” involves sending out blocks of legitimate text or nonsense emails containing low ‘spam score’ words. The average user, recognising these as rubbish marks them as spam, and the Bayesian filter increases the ‘spam score’ of the words included as a result. The spammer hopes that by doing this the bayesian filter will start providing false positives due to the high ‘spam score’ of the innocent words, and either abandon their Bayesian filter, or lower it’s sensitivity, thus allowed the spammers next round of sales spam through.
This gives you an idea of the changing tactics in the ongoing struggle against spam. Spammers are prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to get their spam into your inbox. It is an invasion. They are sending in attacks pretending to be allies, they are sending in attacks that they try not to make look like attacks, they are sending in attacks to soften up your defense for future attacks. How can we defend against this? Must we second guess the spammer at every turn? Is it ever possible to win this game?
Despite all I have said, and all my research into the subject and the very real fact that spam is increasing not decreasing, I strongly believe that it is possible to block out almost all spam mail through a sensible combination of the above mediums. The best anti-spam software uses all approaches together to beat out spam, first screening for blacklisted names and junking them, then screening for whitelisted addresses and delivering them through, and finally applying a Bayesian analysis to the remainder of e-mails to see if it is legitimate or not. It’s certainly not foolproof, but think of it like this. Suppose you employed a person to filter your mail for you and only deliver wanted emails to your computer. If it was an actual person doing this job, they would be able to identify the spam, usually at a glance, and 100% of the time. This means there is something about spam that is recognisable to us. So all the anti-spam technology needs to do is be as smart as a person at recognising spam.
Here’s a thought in passing. Imagine a ring where opponents could shadow box. Now imagine someone who broke the rules of that ring and actually struck his opponent. Imagine a boxer who’s opponent never stuck him back. Every day he could get in the ring and punch and punch and punch and even though he was a skinny weakling, eventually through sheer weight of numbers, one of his punches, or the combination of his punches, would drop his opponent. Of course most times the opponent would get up, and take another barrage of punches, any single one by itself completely ineffectual, but together in their persistance able to eventually score a knockout. Now imagine after a while the target boxer started developing a few counters, side-stepping, holding up his gloves, and these counters started reducing the number of punches that got through. The guy hitting might try some tricks to get around, faking jabs, difficult combinations etc. And eventually the guy defending may just get good enough at keeping all the aggressors punches out that he never gets hit, or only one light punch slips through every once in a while.
Spam is like that. Your spam protection can be very good. It can stop nearly 100% of spam messages from getting through, but so long as you play by the rules and your opponent doesn’t, he’s going to keep trying to hit you. What would happen in the above scenario if one day the owner of the ring changed the rules to full contact? What would happen if the spammer could be hit back? You can become very effective in removing spam as a personal problem, but ultimately, you don’t win a fight by blocking and playing defensively. To eliminate spam, not just on a personal level, but actually eliminate it, the spammer needs to become a target that can be hit back.
read before posting 1)posting first view/comment/ect will get you blocked cause its spam 2) please wait for the hd option to apper before complaining about the quality 3) negative comments will result in a block
read before posting 1)posting first view/comment/ect will get you blocked cause its spam 2) please wait for the hd option to apper before complaining about the quality 3) negative comments will result in a block
Categories: Blocking Spam Articles | 
Tags: causes, Depression, Effects, Harmful, Spamdexing | 
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– shut down comments, sorry – too much spam:( -