Spam Blocking 

SPAM

The word SPAM was originally created by Hormel Foods, maker of the canned "Shoulder Pork and hAM. Later Monty Python's Flying Circus performed a spam skit in which a restaurant serves its food with loads of spam, and the waitress repeats the word several times in describing how much spam is in the items. When she does this, a group of Vikings in the corner start a song: "Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, lovely spam! Wonderful spam!" Thus the meaning of the term is at least “something that keeps repeating and repeating to great annoyance”.⁽¹⁾ 
 

How Big is the Problem?
 

As of 2003, the following statistics were derived from a number of different reputable sources including: Google, Brightmail,
Jupiter Research, eMarketer, Gartner, MailShell, Harris Interactive, and Ferris Research. (2)
Email Statistics
	q Daily emails sent 31 billion q Daily emails sent per email address 56 q Daily emails sent per person 174 q Daily emails sent per corporate user 34 q Daily emails received per person 10 q Email addresses per person 3.1 average q Cost to all Internet Users $255 million
Email Pornography Statistics
	q Daily porn emails sent 2.5 billion q Daily porn emails sent per person 4.5
Spam Statistics
	q Email considered Spam 40% of all email q Daily Spam emails sent 12.4 billion q Daily Spam received per person 6 q Annual Spam received per person 2,200 q Spam costs to all non-corp Internet Users $255 million q Spam costs to US corporations in 2002 $8.9 billion q States with Anti-Spam Laws 26 q Email address changes due to Spam 16% q Estimated Spam Increase by 2007 63% q Annual Spam in 1,000 Employee Company 2.1 million q Users who reply to Spam email 28% q Users who purchased from Spam email 8% q Corporate email that is considered Spam 15-20% q Wasted corporate time per Spam email 4.5 seconds
Type of Spam Categories (% of total Spam)
	q Products 25% q Financial 20% q Adult 19% q Scams 9% q Health 7% q Internet 7% q Leisure 6% q Spiritual 4% q Other 3%        Most Annoying q Pornography 91% q Mortgage and Loans 78% q Investments 68% q Real Estate 61% q Software 41%

The Cost to US Corporations ⁽³⁾ 

 

SPAM Blocking Solutions  

Presented below is a comparison list of some of the more popular SPAM blocking utilities available today as compiled by Spam Filter Review (http://www.spamfilterreview.com/). These products range in price from $5 to $40.

How SPAM Filters Work 

Presented below is a diagram highlighting the various types of information, data, and attributes today’s top spam blocking systems check in order to block spam. You can read about these attributes in more detail at the following web site: http://www.ealaddin.com/pdf/esafe/esafe_antispam_whitepaper.pdf.  

 

Bayesian SPAM Filters 

Some argue that a better approach for identifying SPAM is to employ a Bayesian filer system in which your current spam messages are statistically analyzed to create a basis for rejecting future Spam. This is important because a CPA firm will not want to use the same filtering methodology as a doctor’s office that receives numerous e-mails discussing breast cancer. With Bayesian filtering, a unique and individual algorithm is created and continually updated based on the e-mails you receive and those you reject. Over time, your system learns which types of e-mails to reject automatically.

Yet, another measure you can take to block SPAM is to set up rules in your e-mail or turn on spam and adult content filtering in your e-mail client. This is discussed in more detail under e-mail tips and tricks.

Spam Inspector 4.0

Based on our review of the various products available today, we found that Spam Inspector 4.0 was our favorite solution and therefore earns our top recommendation. We liked the power, ease of use, and price tag; but we were swayed by the various high praising reviews and awards this product has received. Here are two sample screen shots from this product. Learn more about   Spam Inspector 4.0 here: http://www.giantcompany.com/(jzw5nt452vfw4mq0q4uedr45)/default.aspx 

Spam Laws

There are numerous laws against SPAM at many levels of government, as enacted by 11 counties and the European Union. A complete listing of these laws is summarized at this web site: http://www.spamlaws.com/us.html 

The most recent law to be enacted is the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 as introduced by Senators Conrad R. Burns (R-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) in April 2003, with minor changes from the previous year's version, S. 630 (2002). Two other bills (S. 1231 and S. 1293) were subsequently merged into it. The final version was approved by the Senate in November 2003 and by the House of Representatives in December 2003, and was signed into law by President Bush on December 16, 2003. The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act requires unsolicited commercial e-mail messages to be labeled (though not by a standard method) and to include opt-out instructions and the sender's physical address. It prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in such messages. The FTC is authorized (but not required) to establish a "do-not-email" registry. State laws that require labels on unsolicited commercial e-mail or prohibit such messages entirely are pre-empted, although provisions merely addressing falsity and deception would remain in place. The CAN-SPAM Act went into effect on January 1, 2004. Violators can be sent to jail for periods up to 1, 3 or 5 years depending on the type and volume of the SPAM violation.

These measures have helped, but have not stopped SPAM completely because much of the SPAM originates from overseas where there are no laws prohibiting such activities. Some US companies have even defiantly set up their spamming operations overseas to defy capture.

E-Mail Providers Fight Back

In an effort to deter SPAM, many of the world’s top e-mail providers (such as EarthLink, Microsoft, AOL, and COMCAST) banded together and implemented tougher controls on sending e-mails. Basically these providers required all e-mailers to log in and authenticate their identities upon sending each e-mail. For a short time, people around the world were annoyed as they had to reconfigure their systems to accommodate this new higher level of e-mail. The effect has been to help stem the growing number of e-mails, but this too has not stopped the professional spammers.

Stop SPAM Before it Starts

There are several solutions that help deter SPAM and spyware. One that has been widely applauded is AdAware. AdAware is a privacy tool that scans your memory, registry, hard, removable and optical drives for known data-mining, aggressive advertising, and tracking components. It then lists the results and offers to remove or quarantine the components. The program detects a wide range of adware/spyware related issues and can be updated with the latest signatures via the built-in update utility. This product can be downloaded for free from http://lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware and a more automated version of this tool is available for $30.

                                      

Another solution for protecting your computers from spyware is Spybot Search and Destroy available from a host of sources including CNET's www.download.com. Though the interface requires a little more manipulation than Adaware, many users have had great success using this free utility. Spybot seeks out malicious spyware much like other programs however rather than simply delete or quarantine the affected files, Spybot can also insert blank or "dummy" data into the information gathering fields of resident spyware thus rendering them ineffective and useless. Pictures below is a sample of the scanning page for Spybot Search and Destroy v1.3.

Blocking Pop-Ups

There are numerous pop up blocking tools available in the market today, but the one we recommend most is the Google pop up blocker which can be downloaded here: http://toolbar.google.com/. This tool installs in 20 seconds and does an excellent job of stopping those pesky pop-ups. 

Conclusion 

The world is fed up with SPAM and enormous efforts have been taken to fight SPAM. It is estimated that SPAM costs US corporations alone nearly $9 billion a year. Still spammers are persistent and pesky, and they continue to find new ways to annoy us all. The government has stepped up efforts to reduce SPAM through new laws and legislation; therefore you should be careful to examine your e-mail practices to make sure you are in full compliance. In the end, your best step is still to download and install AdAware, set up some e-mail rules, and purchase and install a SPAM filtering program. Our favorite SPAM tool is Spam Inspector 4.0 which sells for about $30. 

Recommendations

q Download and install Ad-aware for free.
q   Set up rules in your e-mail client to delete obvious unwanted e-mail.
q   Purchase and install a SPAM blocking tool such as SPAM Inspector 4.0 for $30.
q   Make sure you do not violate the new anti-spamming laws, especially the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
 

End Notes 

1. Origin of the word spam by Brad Templeton - http://www.templetons.com/brad/spamterm.html
2. Spam Statistics - http://www.spamfilterreview.com/spam-statistics.html
3. Aladdin Anti-Spam White Paper - http://www.ealaddin.com/pdf/esafe/esafe_antispam_whitepaper.pdf
4. Spam Laws - http://www.spamlaws.com/us.html
5. A Plan for Spam by Paul Graham – http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html
6. Better Bayesian Filtering by Paul Graham - http://www.paulgraham.com/better.html
7. Review of Spam Inspector 4.0 - http://www.spamfilterreview.com/spam-inspector-review.html

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