Spam FAQ
Click on the question to find the answer to the question.
- What is Spam?
- Most Spam messages have a "remove" link in order to a remove yourself from their mail lists. Won't that take care of the problem?
- How did "Spammers" get my address?
- What is a black list?
- What is a white list?
- What is a false positive?
- What is e-mail address spoofing?
- What is 'phishing'?
- How many e-mail messages does the campus receive each day?
- How many of the e-mail messages received can be defined as "Spam?"
- Is it possible to get an e-mail virus from a Spam message?
- I understand that each message coming into the University mail system will go through the anti-Spam tool solution and will receive a rating. How does this rating system work?
- Do I still need to run a virus checker on my local PC?
- How is Spam bad?
Spam is unwanted, unsolicited e-mail similar to junk mail you get in your regular mail. The technical terms are Unsolicited Bulk e-mail (UBE) and Unsolicited Commercial e-mail (UCE). Very often you won't even see your own e-mail address on the TO: line as they send it to one e-mail address and hide thousands of other e-mail addresses behind it. You may think they didn't mean to send it to you, but they did!
Most Spam messages have a "remove" link in order to a remove yourself from their mail lists. Won't that take care of the problem?
NEVER, EVER reply to a remove address. If the people sending you the Spam were ethical individuals, they would not be invading your inbox with their junk. Replying to a remove address does one thing: confirms your e-mail address as legitimate so the Spammers can sell your address to all their friends.
How did "Spammers" get my address?
Spammers get your address in a variety of ways. If you sign up for and use a file-sharing mechanism like Kazaa, your e-mail address is likely to be sold. Even seemingly innocuous sites can turn around and provide your e-mail to their advertisers, with the result being that you begin receiving unsolicited e-mail messages from them. Also, if you have your e-mail address on a Web page, it is easy for unscrupulous advertisers (or worse) to search your Web page for your e-mail address. It is unfortunately easy and very inexpensive for these companies to send out huge volumes of Spam.
A black list identifies e-mail addresses that are likely Spam sources and domains that are known to originate Spam. Many anti-Spam software programs use black lists to control Spam by refusing any e-mail that originates from one of these sources. Black lists are usually maintained by anti-Spam organizations or by individuals with an intense distaste for Spam.
As the name suggests, a 'white list' is the opposite of a black list and contains details about addresses and domains that should never be identified as Spam. For example, some users might receive regular e-mail messages from a magazine that they have subscribed to, that might otherwise get tagged as Spam.
A legitimate e-mail that is not delivered because Spam filters incorrectly identified it as Spam mail.
What is e-mail address spoofing?
Spammers use spoofing to make e-mail messages appear to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. It is done by using a fraudulent e-mail return address. Spam might show the e-mail address of a legitimate company yet have a completely different return address.
While spoofing is generally associated with Spam, it can be used legitimately - for example to disguise your identity to send an anonymous message as a "whistle-blower" who fears retaliation. It should be noted, however, that spoofing anyone other than yourself is illegal in some jurisdictions.
Phishing is a scam where a bogus e-mail masquerades as a message from a real company. These usually direct recipients toward a false Web site that looks identical to the real company's Web site where the user is duped into entering private information such as a credit card number. Many see phishing as crossing the line between Spam as a nuisance and Spam as fraud. Common phishing schemes mimic sites such as PayPal, eBay, and online banking sites.
How many e-mail messages does the campus receive each day?
As of April 2004, our campus receives approximately 200,000 e-mail messages each day.
How many of the e-mail messages received can be defined as "Spam?
Information Resources & Technology estimates that well over 50% of these messages are Spam.
Is it possible to get an e-mail virus from a Spam message?
Absolutely! In 2004 the e-mail borne Sobig.F variant became the biggest and fastest-spreading e-mail virus on record. At its worst, Sobig.F was responsible for nearly three-quarters of all Internet e-mail traffic. Industry experts predict viruses and worms are going to be larger, more sophisticated and more likely to be sent by Spammers.
Once the new University anti-Spam tool solution is in place, will I still receive Spam messages?
Unfortunately, YES. No anti-Spam solution will stop 100% of unwanted messages without also preventing the delivery of valid e-mail messages. To insure that valid messages are delivered, the anti-Spam device is configured to block blatant Spam and deliver suspected Spam. The [BULK] tag on the subject line of suspected Spam can be used to further distinguish between valid messages and probable Spam messages.
I understand that each message coming into the University mail system will go through the anti-Spam tool solution and will receive a rating. How does this rating system work?
Every message that comes into the University will be put through a very thorough rating system and assigned a "SCORE". Currently, the recommended settings for the rating system are:
0.0 - 3.5 e-mail will be delivered as normal.
3.6 - 8.0 e-mail will be delivered as normal with [BULK] added to the subject line.
8.1 e-mail will not be delivered.
All delivered e-mail messages will have information added to the header to allow individuals to create "rules" to control the e-mail at the client level.
Does the new anti-Spam solution also perform a virus check?
Yes, this new Anti-Spam tool also has a very rigid virus checker.
Do I still need to run a virus checker on my local PC?
Yes, we still need as much protection as possible against viruses. It is possible for a virus to get to your PC from many sources, not just via an e-mail message.
Spam is a waste. It wastes time, money, and other resources. It also wastes bandwidth. Each e-mail takes up a nearly insignificant amount of our bandwidth, but like pennies, they add up. Large amounts of Spam can also cause our mail servers to crash due to having to deal with more than is possible. Some Spams are scams, some are pornography, some are virulent, and some are just designed to waste your time.
Last Updated: February 21, 2006