Plague of the Internet
E-mail spam, also known as unsolicited bulk email (UBE) or unsolicited commercial email (UCE), is the practice of sending unwanted e-mail messages, frequently with commercial content, in large quantities to an indiscriminate set of recipients.
This lens is based on a transcript of a presentation on Spam, given by Alex Kahl of Kahl Consultants on 12-18-07 in San Rafael, CA.
What is Spam?
* e-mail spam
* instant messaging spam,
* newsgroup spam,
* Web search engine spam,
* blog and comment spam,
* mobile phone messaging spam,
* junk fax transmissions.
"
In 2007: 95-98% of all E-mail
is spam!
How much?
read abut 10-20)
Bill Gates receives 4 million spams per year
In 2001: spam accounted for 5% of all e-mail .
In 2007: 95-98% of all E-mail is spam
Spam costs businesses over US$20 billion per year - lost productivity,
additional equipment, software, and manpower
Why spam?
extremely low response rates.
Great Books on Fighting Spam
How to Do Everything to Fight Spam, Viruses, Pop-Ups, and Spyware (How to Do Everything)
Swat spam, vanquish viruses, knock down pop-ups, and expose spyware with help from this one-of-a-kind resource. Loaded with insightful advice, practical tips, and trial software, this book-and-CD defense will help you rid your computer of the perils and nuisances of Web surfing once and for all.
Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 12/02/2008) 
Absolute Beginner's Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware & Viruses (Absolute Beginner's Guide)
The mere act of turning on an Internet-connected computer can put you, your family, and your personal finances at risk by exposing you to viruses, scam artists, hackers, identity thieves, and spammers. How do you fight back? Absolute Beginner's Guide to Security, Spam, Spyware and Viruses is your first line of defense.
Amazon Price: $17.81 (as of 12/02/2008)
sendmail Milters: A Guide for Fighting Spam
Milters are among the most powerful antispamming tools available. Until now, there has been no clear and helpful resource for you to learn how to set up and use Milters. sendmail Milters: A Guide for Fighting Spam is the first in-depth guide to writing powerful Milters to block even the most clever spammers.
Amazon Price: $27.57 (as of 12/02/2008)
Who spams?
5% South Korea, 5% China, 5% Russia
80% of US spam is generated by a group of 200 hardcore professional spam gangs
How is spam sent out?
Most ISPs do not allow spam. So spammers conceal the origins of theirspam by sending it through insecure servers belonging to unwilling third
parties. These "zombie networks" of infected PCs span the globe.
How do spammers get my e-mail address?
* E-mail addresses posted on Web sites in plain HTML (unobscured)attract the most spam as they are harvested by spambots
* Basic e-mail addresses (short names, initials like bob@ or tse@, basic combinations like larryt@ receive more spam
* "brute force" or "dictionary attacks" (e-mail is sent to common surnames and first initials)
Fighting Spam
Best solution: an "Antispam Cocktail" (a mix of strategies)* Remove or obscure address from public websites
* Use multiple e-mail addresses; create a free email account (aka disposable e-mail address) for use when registering with websites (recommendation: gmail)
* DNS-based blackhole lists (lists of IP addresses of known spammers, open relays, zombie spammers etc)
* Don't respond to spam from unknown companies
* Don't buy from a company that spams. Don't visit their website, don't ask for more information
* Disable HTML in email software
* Switch from Outlook to another email software
* Set up multiple levels of spam filtration
* Contact your ISP and ask for help setting up a spam filter
* Use spam filtering in your email client (* Spam filters detect spam based on the content of the e-mail)
Kahl Consultants and Spam
* Strict no-spam policy* Hosting clients caught spamming are terminated
* 2 levels of spam filtration on our website servers (blacklists and SpamAssassin
)* Request our clients to help fight spam
Kahl Consultants and Email Marketing
* Email marketing cheaper than website marketing, both are best done synergetically
* We practice double opt-in email marketing
* We set up and monitor email campaigns (e.g. constantcontact.com)
For further information please visit www.kahl.net
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