E-Mail and its Evil Twin | Invasion of Privacy! Big Brother and the Company Hackers

E-mail was the Internet's first Killer app, but spam, its evil twin, is the bane of the Internet. Avoiding spam is an art, but there's more to e-mail than dodging spam. Even the most innocuous messages can hide Trojan horses and viruses. E-mail is notoriously insecure !

Following are some tips for avoiding e-mail's downside.

Delete all unsolicited e-mail without opening it.
Don't reveal your e-mail address unless it's absolutely necessary.
Create separate e-mail accounts for different functions (such as e-commerce, business, technical support, family, friends , and user groups).
Create a separate e-mail inbox for spam.
Encrypt sensitive e-mail.
Don't allow your e-mail address to be included in any online membership directories. (If it's already listed, insist that it be removed!)
Never provide credit card or personal information in an e-mail.
Never open file attachments from a merchant or stranger.
Never open messages with pictures from a merchant or stranger.
Never click on hyperlinks from a merchant or stranger.
Use a spam filter.
Use a spam blocker.

Spam Blockers

Many people use spam blockers. I don't, so I can't recommend one. In my experience spam blockers are conflict-prone, they hog system resources and slow down mail delivery, and they aren't bulletproof. Spam still gets through and occasionally legitimate messages don't! Then there's the question of spyware, which I consider a greater scourge than spam. If a shareware spam blocker installs adware or spyware on your system, as many do, the solution is worse than the problem!

Anti-Spam Plan

Short of anti-spam legislation, which will effectively outlaw it, there is no simple solution to spam. Ironically, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent ruling against fax.com (which essentially stated that unsolicited fax advertisements are not protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of expression) sets a new precedent that should hasten laws that restrict unsolicited e-mail.

Spammers Can't Spam What They Can't Find

I hate to keep repeating myself , but stealth is the most effective way to dodge spam. Spammers can't spam what they can't find! Unfortunately, this solution is not foolproof. Spammers are capable of bulk e-mailing every user at a given portal using name -randomizing technology that spits out almost every possible alpha-numeric combination. That proviso aside, not giving out your e-mail address is the best way to avoid getting spam.

Delete all Unsolicited E-Mail without Opening It

This is a no-brainer. The only way to deal with spam is to never open it! Delete spam unopened. Never respond to it! When you open spam formatted in HTML, the e-mail can communicate with the spammer's server, indicating that you're a live one! To be safe, delete all unsolicited e-mail in your inbox without opening it. If you use Outlook, Outlook Express, or Netscape, turn off the preview pane so you don't unwittingly pull HTML code from some spammer.

To deactivate the preview pane in Outlook

Navigate to your inbox in Outlook.
Click the View menu.
Uncheck the Preview Pane option.

Spam Filters

A spam filter is not a spam blocker, which is software that piggybacks on your e-mail program. A spam filter is built into your e-mail program. When you receive spam, you can add the sender to a Junk Senders list, which automatically deletes messages from that sender in the future. Refer to your particular e-mail program for instructions. I've provided the steps for adding senders to the Junk Senders list in Outlook.

To add senders to the junk e-mail list in Outlook

Right click on a spam message.
Click Junk E-Mail.
Click Add to Junk Senders List.

To automatically and permanently delete spam in Outlook:

Click Rules Wizard on Outlook's Tools menu.
Click New.
Check Start from a Blank Rule.
Select Check Messages When They Arrive .

Figure 13.7: Outlook's Junk Senders list

Figure 13.8: The Outlook Rules Wizard
Click Next.
Check Suspected to Be Junk E-Mail from Junk Senders.
Check Permanently Delete It.
Click OK when you receive a message about not being able to recover the spam.
Click Finish.

You can also screen spam by deleting e-mail messages that contain keywords like "Viagra," "loan," "credit," "porn," "rich," "hot," "DVD," and "weight" in the Subject line. I've added more than 60 such words to my Outlook filter list.

To delete spam by filtering keywords in Outlook:

Click Rules Wizard on Outlook's Tools menu.
Click New.
Check Start Creating a Rule from a Template.
Select Move Messages Based on Content.
click "Apply this rule after the message arrives with specific words ( underlined ). "
In the Search Text box specify the word you want to filter such as "loan."
Click Add, then OK
In the Rules Description box specify the Deleted Items folder as the specified folder ( underlined ) to move the messages to.
Click Next three times.
Specify a nane for the Rule.
Click Finish.