Summary

Although new and innovative ways of fighting spam are being developed all the time, spammers have a vested interest in keeping up with (and working to circumvent) these techniques as well. Unfortunately, this cat-and-mouse game is more than just an annoyance - spam e-mail messages can (and often do) represent a real risk to system security and your personal privacy. Keep the following points in mind when it comes to minimizing your exposure to spam e-mail messages:

• Never post your primary e-mail address online. When you must submit e-mail addresses on the Internet, dedicate a secondary address to this purpose.

• Never open e-mail messages or attachments from unknown senders. These messages often include beacons and viruses.

• If you must continue to use an e-mail account that is being overwhelmed by spam, take advantage of security features in your e-mail client program, or consider installing an anti-spam program.

• If your current e-mail account is being deluged by spam, consider switching to a new primary e-mail address.