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Internet Pests:
Spam and Viruses
Most of us agree that having a Web presence – a Web site and e-mail is a
good business venture in today’s market. One negative aspect of having a Web
site and having your e-mail address exposed to the Internet is a
vulnerability to spam (annoying unsolicited e-mails) and computer viruses.
Unsophisticated users sometimes believe that there is a personal conspiracy
against them and their site, while in reality this is happening worldwide. A
great deal of time and money is wasted on combating spam and viruses. An
anti-spam law was passed by the U.S. Congress this year, but apparently has
had little effect on the volume of spam, partly because many spammers are
based outside the United States.
One reason you get spam is that your e-mail address is displayed on
the Internet if you have a Web site. Another is that spammers today use
sophisticated techniques to bypass typical mail server checking mechanisms
in order to retrieve valuable information, such as a list of valid e-mail
addresses. That means spammers attempt to deliver messages to multiple
addresses, such as john@yourdomain.com, joe@yourdomain.com, and jon@yourdomain.com.
Addresses that are not rejected by the receiving mail server are assumed to
be valid. These address lists are compiled and sold to other spammers
worldwide and the spam multiplies.
Spam Filters
Private parties can choose to block mail from all senders except those folks
they know, but business Web sites need to accept e-mail from unknown
parties. Usually you are given a certain amount of protection by your Web
server. Anti-spam software is available for your personal or business
computer system and some can add a certain amount of protection by filtering
out specific words, senders, and kinds of e-mail. The e-mail programs we
ordinarily use also have filters that we can apply to mail. Outlook Express
is a common e-mail program and it has a Message Rule tool that you can use
to delete unwanted mail or sort mail into Important and Spam folders that
you can add to your inbox. In order to make these Message Rules effective,
however, you must teach the program what is acceptable and what is not. That
requires putting time and effort into creating new rules for each acceptable
party and rules for unacceptable words, subjects, and senders. Some
purchased spam filters already have rules built in and some can be
periodically updated from the company that sold the program. Rules can be
added manually. One draw back with filters is that they will occasionally
generate a “false positive,” a legitimate e-mail that mistakenly fits one of
the criteria for spam. Businesses can not afford to lose their customers by
mistake.
Do not reply to a spam e-mail or click on the unsubscribe link. You
will be telling the spammer that your address is valid and you will receive
more spam than ever. If you are on the mailing list of a legitimate company
and choose to no longer receive their e-mail, unsubscribing is the correct
way to cancel your subscription.
Most importantly, even if the e-mail is from someone you know, never open
any attachments unless you are expecting them or they are explained to
your satisfaction. Opening e-mails with attachments can release a virus into
your computer and can cause you to lose your stored business data or can
disable your computer. You can assume that a file attachment is a virus if
it ends with .vbs, .scr, or .exe. Bogus e-mails often have a suspicious
subject line. If you are unsure, ask the person who sent it. E-mail or call
them. Usually they have no idea someone stole their address and are using it
and probably thousands of others to propagate spam. They are not at fault.
Virus spammers are similar to people who scribble graffiti on walls. They do
it for the thrill of doing something destructive without getting caught.
Delete the e-mail message without opening it or its attachment.
It is uncommon but possible to launch a virus embedded in an HTML-formatted
message automatically when a message is displayed in a message window or a
preview pane. You can minimize that risk by disabling your e-mail
program's preview pane.
In Outlook Express, choose View, Layout and uncheck Show preview pane.
In Outlook, click View and deselect Preview Pane.
In Eudora, select Tools, Options, choose Viewing Mail in the Category list,
and uncheck Show message preview pane.
Be sure to use a virus protection program. Keep the program’s virus
definitions up-to-date by subscribing to the programs automatic update
service. Make sure the definitions are updated at least weekly.
By using a few of these protective aids, and being aware of the problems and
dangers involved, the e-mail user can continue to enjoy the benefits of
swift and efficient electronic communication and minimize the pitfalls.
by Lee Raine
A version of this article appeared in Equestrian Retailer
Magazine, September 2004. |
