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Online File W4.9=20

SPAMMING: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS=20

What drives unsolicited commercial e-mail (UCE)=97spam? While many = people=20 think that spamming is mostly the result of legitimate commercial = activities,=20 the fact is different. According to the Coalition Against Unsolicited = Commercial=20 E-mail (cauce.org, September 2002), 80 percent of spammers are = just=20 trying to get your financial information=97credit card or bank account = numbers=97to=20 defraud you. The pornography industry is another major source of = spamming.

The major drivers of the increased UCEs are:=20

WHY IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL SPAMMING=20

One of the most well-known spammers is Al Ralsky. According to Stone = and Lin=20 (2002), Ralsky sends out more than 30 million e-mails each day, using = 120=20 servers. Verizon is suing Ralsky in Virginia, alleging that he crashed = its=20 servers. Ralsky (and others) buy bulk mailing lists. Lists of 100 = million=20 addresses can be bought for as little as $2,000. Ralsky works with = content=20 providers that craft pitches. He claims that he =93helps millions of = people to buy=20 cars, earn money, etc., and helps small businesses to advertise.=94=20

Spammers send millions of e-mails through shifting Internet = accounts to=20 avoid detection. Using a stealth server, they strip away clues about = where the=20 spam originated and the server substitutes fake addresses. Spam messages = get=20 sent undetected through unregulated Asian mail routes. The e-mails = travel back=20 to the United States, generating about 25 sales for every one million = e-mails.=20 Spammers use different methods to find their victims. For example, they = scour=20 Web sites and chat rooms for addresses, then send e-mails to common = names at=20 mail servers hoping to find a match. They also use computer programs = that=20 randomly generate thousands of addresses. In addition to regular = commercial=20 spammers that push products (e.g., ink for your printer), and services = (e.g.,=20 home loans and insurance), the major spammers are the pornography sites. =

Part of the solution to spamming is the junk mail filters = provided by=20 major e-mail sites (e.g., hotmail.com, yahoo.com).=20

SOLUTIONS TO SPAMMING=20

While legislation is underway in many countries, its implementation = may not=20 be simple. Therefore, others must take action. The ISPs and e-mail = providers=20 like Yahoo, MSN, and AOL provide several options, ranging from junk mail = filters=20 and automatic junk mail deleters to blockers of certain URLs and e-mail=20 addresses (e.g., see hotmail.com, but they block only 250 = addresses).=20 Many software packages will help you to deal with the problem. For = example,=20 mailwasher.net can eliminate spam by reviewing e-mails before = they are=20 downloaded, junkbusters.com will help you with free information = and=20 ideas. AOL, Verizon, and others are especially keen on the problem in = their most=20 recent editions (e.g., AOL Version 8 has porno-spam control). =

Filtering=20 tips are provided by Tynan (2002). They include instructions for the use = of=20 Outlook Express and Netscape Mail filters, how to opt out, surf smart, = block=20 cookies, deal with viruses, block hackers, encryption, and more (see=20 find.pcworld.com/26702). The problem with such software is that = spammers=20 find ways to circumvent software programs. For more information, see = Coalition=20 Against Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail (or CAUCE at cauce.org).=20

The problem also exists in Internet-based wireless devices and = is=20 exploding. DoCoMo, the mobile portal, is taking several defensive = measures=20 including imposing a fee on calls returned by unsuspected users who = return calls=20 to the spammers (Asahi Shimbun News Service, August 30, 2002). For = further=20 discussion of wireless security see Chapter 5.

Some antispam = tools are=20 available from junkspy.com, spamex.com, = zeroads.com,=20 mailshell.com, mymailoasis.com, Spam Buster by = contactplus.com,=20 SpamKiller by mcafee.com, and many more.

If you want to = complain,=20 go to abuse.com. They will transfer your complaint to the appropriate = place. You=20 can also contact mail-abuse.org.=20

SPAM-FILTERING SITE FOR A COUNTRY=20

According to the Korean Times (Kit-ai, 2002), Koreans are = able to=20 effectively block unsolicited e-mail as of that date by registering = their e-mail=20 addresses and telephone numbers on a government-run Web site. This = service=20 enables them to be free from unwanted commercial e-messages and = telephone calls=20 to regular or mobile phones.

Koreans enter nospam.go.kr = or=20 antispam.go.kr and register. Then, when Korean vendors get the = list of=20 registered e-mails and telephone numbers, they are banned from sending=20 unsolicited messages to registered individuals. Offenders may lose their = business license for up to a year, or may be subject to criminal = punishment.=20 (The service is somewhat akin to the =93national no-call=94 list = in the=20 United States, which aims to keep telemarketers from calling people who = do not=20 want to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls.) Unfortunately, the = system=20 covers only registered businesses. Small, unregistered businesses can = easily=20 evade the regulatory monitoring. However, the Korean government plans to = make it=20 compulsory for all businesses to refer to the antispam list. The = government also=20 plans to require all senders of promotional materials to identify them = as=20 commercials. Monitoring is done in collaboration with consumer = protection=20 groups.



REFERENCES FOR ONLINE FILE W4.9=20

Kit-ai, K., =93Spam Filtering Site to Open Today,=94 Korean Times, = August 22,=20 2002.
Stone, B., and J. Lin., =93Spamming the World,=94 Newsweek, = August 10,=20 2002.
Tynan, D., =93How to Take Back Your Privacy,=94 PCWorld, June = 2002.=20