45 replies to this topic

[MJ]

Could someone recommend a good anti-spam software? Freeware fowuld be disirable.

Thanks.

[THOTH]

Yeah and anti-pop up too! Would be most helpful (my Norton just doesn't seem at all to be doing the trick...)

[DominO]

Could someone recommend a good anti-spam software? Freeware fowuld be disirable.

Thanks.

Spam? Do you mean pop-up?

[MJ]

No. I mean the large numbers of "very attractive" electronic proposals to improve my physiological and financial future.

[DominO]

No. I mean the large numbers of "very attractive" electronic proposals to improve my physiological and financial future.

Do you use an anti-virus, firewall etc... I am asking you this, because in some products(like Norton Internet Security etc...) you can block those adds. There is some products I have tried, some works well, others less... if you don't have installed any firewall, I could find you a good product that does all at once.

[MJ]

I use PC-cillin for anti-virus, but it doesn't deal with spam.

[DominO]

Try this one then. It's a good first trial stuff, and it's free.

http://eremover.bizhosting.com/

The problem with those softwares, is that you have to configure them to exclude stuff... it works with trial and error... you add stuff which you want to exclude, you wait and see the results, you then restrict and restrict by adding more restrictions...

[vava]

Do you have access to your server? If so, (and if you're running linux on your server) you could install and configure Spam Assassin or other open source applications server side. You stop the spam BEFORE it gets to your machine.

Spam assassin works on a points basis, wherby suspicious attributes accumulate points - you decide at what score the email becomes rejected (or marked) as spam. Ex. A direct mail that accepts credit cards gets, say 2.5 points; If the return email & from email don't match the host, 2 more points; finally the email is sent through an open relay; anothe point and a half. 6 total points, and if your trigger is set at 5, this email gets rejected.

Only problem I've had is with reverse DNS lookup, which can cause delays - and then server timeouts. Your incoming mail may get cued for a couple of hours. I suppose you'll just have to play with the configurations. Let me konw if you're interested and I'll sen you a couple of links.

[MJ]

Try this one then. It's a good first trial stuff, and it's free.

http://eremover.bizhosting.com/

The problem with those softwares, is that you have to configure them to exclude stuff... it works with trial and error... you add stuff which you want to exclude, you wait and see the results, you then restrict and restrict by adding more restrictions...

Thanks Domino, but no success. It doesn't finish the installation process due to the inability to recognize my ISP provider.

Let me play with it, Vava. I guess in a day or two I'll have enough information to judge about it.

Edited by MJ, 06 November 2003 - 03:15 PM.

[vava]

You can get SpamAssassin HERE. and if you have questions, you can check the FAQ.

Many commercial hosting outfits are installling SpamAssassin on their mailservers - ie. if you have a hosting package for a website, and you have access to their 'control' panel, you usually have access to the config files.

[MJ]

Many commercial hosting outfits are installling SpamAssassin on their mailservers - ie. if you have a hosting package for a website, and you have access to their 'control' panel, you usually have access to the config files.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work for me either. I am using one ISP provider but am trying to block emails sent to my account provided by another ISP provider. And the installation process doesn't go through. But I have blocked everyone who is not in my webmail address book, and since my last message I have not gotten ay spam email. But given that my address book is too incomplete, I might've also blocked some "legitimate" senders. So, I guess, I need to add my normal senders to my webmail address book on one-by-one basis.

[Sip]

Fortunately all servers I rely on are well managed ... including yahoo mail which filters "junk" into a bulk folder automatically. My first suggestion would be to try to migrate to a better provider for email?

But, here's an alternative suggestion ...

With most email clients like outlook, you can specify a set of filtering rules. So instead of relying on an out-of-box spam software or on implementing a very strict "deny everyone who's not approved" strategy, you may want to experiment with creating rules for filtering incoming mail.

For example, you can filter based on keywords "unsubscribe" or "remove from list" since most these bulk mails contain such a statement even though they may lead to nowhere. If you receive legitimate newsletters with such keywords, you can create "inclusion" rules to accept before the exclusion rules to reject.

I realize this may not be a favorable solution and it may take some time to get it to a robust state of operation ... and it will require occasional tweaking ... but I think I would try that first.

In any case, I haven't had to do it personally except for a few isolated occasions. But you can easily filter anything containing those few anatomical keywords though some of these idiots play around with different permuations and alternate spellings to get around such filters.

[MJ]

My first suggestion would be to try to migrate to a better provider for email?

Unfortunately, I cannot do it. I have had this account for about 8-10 years and too many old friends with whom I don't regularly correspond have this email address.

I didn't know Microsoft Outlook had filters. How do I set it up?

Thanks in advance.

[Sip]

Under the tools menu, there is a "rules wizard" ... it'll take a few minutes to pass the learning curve but I like how it works. Oh and this is Outlook 2002 (Office XP) ... not Outlook Express.

[MJ]

Under the tools menu, there is a "rules wizard" ... it'll take a few minutes to pass the learning curve but I like how it works. Oh and this is Outlook 2002 (Office XP) ... not Outlook Express.

I see what you mean. But it doesn't block the unwanted email but rather sends it to a specified folder under the best case scenario. Am I right?

[DominO]

You can automatically set it to delete what is sent in the folder in question.

[Sip]

Yes. I have a few rules which move the incoming message directly to the trash folder. Then I occasionally glance over the trash before emptying. The filters are applied to each messages as it comes in ... so you can think of it as an automatic sorter ... with the trash folder being an option as well.

[MJ]

Yes. I have a few rules which move the incoming message directly to the trash folder. Then I occasionally glance over the trash before emptying. The filters are applied to each messages as it comes in ... so you can think of it as an automatic sorter ... with the trash folder being an option as well.

But that way, they would never know that I don't want their email and will keep me in their mailing list, right?

At this time, unless I misunderstand something, with what I have at my disposal, I feel better enhancing my webmail address book one at a time.

Thanks for the help.

[Sip]

But that way, they would never know that I don't want their email and will keep me in their mailing list, right?

I don't know what you mean. It doesn't make any difference to them whether you receive the email or not. There is no path back to them usually although there are so many doing so many different things.

Once the spam starts to roll in, that's it. You can start to fight it one by one by trying to get yourself off the lists but I don't know anyone who's been too successful at that.

So either your email server (service provider) will do this filtering for you, or you can do it for you.. or both can do the filtering.

[vava]

Once the spam starts to roll in, that's it. You can start to fight it one by one by trying to get yourself off the lists but I don't know anyone who's been too successful at that.

Isn't this a real drag. I've had an email address for almost 10 years now - and I had managed somehow to keep it clean - no spam. But as you said Sip, once it starts...

Just buying a domain name will get you on list (there are spammers who cull emails from whois lists etc.) It's really a nuisance - not just for the end-user but I think the sheer volume must affect the entire infrastructure of the internet.