| Helpful Information about SPAM
Anti-spam software is installed on all of our mail
servers. In addition, that anti-spam software is
automatically updated through the software provider. Web
Head staff also frequently updates our software settings
to block out any discovered spammers and/or spamming
sources. Web Head IT staff work to stay informed of the
latest spam messages frequently moving through the
Internet. Although Web Head Group takes many pro-active
measures to prevent SPAM, the fact of life is that you
will still receive it.
There are many tools available that can reduce SPAM,
but not prevent it entirely so the expectation that all
SPAM will be stopped is not realistic. Some anti-spam
systems are set more tightly then others, but if you
set an anti-SPAM system too tightly it may prevent you
from receiving legitimate email. This is what is
normally considered a "false positives", i.e. email
messages that are legitimate, but because an anti-SPAM
system is so stringent, are marked as SPAM.
If you feel you are experiencing more SPAM, it may be
because our anti-SPAM system may be slightly less
stringent than another provider's system. This is due to
the fact that we get enough reports of people _not_
receiving certain emails that get marked as SPAM so we
are forced to relax the rules a bit. Unfortunately we
can't make any further adjustments because those
settings affect all users on the mail server. In the
past we have set our anti-SPAM software to operate more
stringently but when we did this we begin to get an
influx of reports of legitimate email getting rejected.
This is due to the fact that each company on the
Internet operates their email systems as they best see
fit and sometimes it is not always the most correct way
so our system, if set too stringently, will penalize
another email system for even the smallest of mis-configurations.
So, if we set our anti-SPAM software to be highly
stringent, we begin to reject many more emails than
necessary. Our anti-SPAM system tests each message
against about eight (8) different infractions and if an
email fails two of those tests, the email is marked as
SPAM. Some infractions cause an email message to be
rejected immediately, for example, if a message is sent
from the IP address of a known SPAM source.
Normally we experience surges in spam and as our spam
filters auto-update, the spam dwindles, but give the
spammers a few more weeks and they'll figure out a new
way to get through. Thus, a constant flow of increasing
then decreasing amounts of SPAM pass through the
Internet on a monthly, weekly and sometimes daily basis.
In addition to our efforts, there are a few measures
you can take to minimize SPAM further.
- Set up a rule in your email software, for
example Outlook, that would automatically send all
email messages with the string "SPAM" in the subject
line straight to the "deleted" folder. This way if
someone sends you a legitimate message that was
marked as SPAM, you can find it in your "Deleted"
folder.
- Install a local copy of anti-spam software on
your computer. This will allow you to block out any
spam that makes it through our system.
- Subscribe to a spam filtering service like
Postini or AppRiver. This would allow a more granular control of
spam settings. Postini and similar services operate
by pre-filtering your email before it arrives at
your mailbox.
- Change your email address frequently. One of
the factors that determine how much spam you get is
how long your email account has been in existence. A
common method employed by some people is to change
their address every year, like
bill2007@webheadgroup.com or
bill2008@webheadgroup.com. You will have to let
everyone that currently sends you email know you
have a new address and if someone has not written
you in some time, they may not know you've changed
your email and you may never get their messages. Be
aware that it will only be a matter of time before
you will receive SPAM at your new address.
- Host your email on a corporate mail server
internally and configure it with anti- spam software
that you could control and update more specifically
to your business requirements.
- Install an "Anti-SPAM" router at your location
that can filter out SPAM for example a Barracuda firewall device.
If you are unsure of the approach to take in regards
to dealing with SPAM we suggest you enlist the services
of an IT company that provides "On Site" services so
that they can evaluate your needs and offer some more
advanced anti-SPAM solutions.
For further information see our other articles:
What is X-IMail-SPAM-Connection?
I am getting SPAM through my website forms.
Email Internet Headers
Here are a few more links to some informative
articles:
http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201000269
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070806/COL11/708060313&imw=Y
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