Recently, we’ve noticed a lot of what we regard as SPAM getting through our first 2 layers of SPAM filtering.
Layer 1 is the Realtime Blocking Lists (RBL’s) maintained by Spamhaus.
These RBL’s keep track of the IP addresses of systems that send out the millions of messages that clog up our inboxes. When our filters see that a piece of email has come from these systems, it is immediately deleted and never gets near your mailbox.
A company called Sendmails has got around this problem by “outsourcing” its mail sending activities to 60,000 computer owners worldwide, who get paid 50 cents an hour to send out advertising messages.
Spammers? Heavens no! Their white hat touches the ceiling, as they talk about their “politeness” in making sure that mailservers belonging to ISP’s are not overloaded, while boasting that they can deliver 2 million email messages in “one quick shot”.
This means that delivery of SPAM is effectively being subcontracted out to individual users, whose volume of transmission is very low. This frustrates the ability for spammers to be detected by ISP’s and RBL’s.
1 address sending 2 million emails is easy to detect and block.
20,000 addresses sending 100 messages each - extremely difficult to detect and block - which is one reason that you’re seeing more SPAM in your inbox.
Layer 2 of our anti-spam measures is SPAM ASSASSIN, a program which analyses the contents of a messages and gives it a”SPAMMINESS” rating. Anything over 5 is classed as SPAM, and is chucked into the SPAM box.
SPAM writers know all about this, and now tailor their messages to get around filters like these. This is another reason you are seeing more SPAM in your inbox.
Never Fear: All Is Not Lost.
You can also have your own filer that operates on the balance of what gets through the RBL’s and Spam Assasin. I use the Bayesian filter built into my email program, Eudora. This type of filter is very good, and “learns” by identifying the message that you nominate as being SPAM. In Eudora, this is done by one click.
Eudora is VERY effective in keeping SPAM out of my Inbox, and putting it into a JUNK folder that I check every couple of days.
If you are using Outlook, and want to try out a Bayesian filter as your last line of defence, have a look at the free 21 day trial of the award winning “Inboxer” addon at www.inboxer.com
It costs $US27.95.
ANTI-SPAM Legislation:
We haven’t noticed any decrease in SPAM since the Australian anti-spam legislation came into force earlier this month. SPAM knows no borders, and in our opinion any legislative efforts to prevent it will have little or no effect.
USA has enacted the CAN-SPAM Act (2002) but this has not had much effect in reducing the amount of junk email. (CANSPAM is an acronym for “Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing” )
Regards,
Eric Graudins.
P.S. You’ll be pleased to learn that the Australian legislation expressly provides permission for political parties, religious organisations, and others to send you as much SPAM as they like.
Posted by Eric G.