outlook express spam filter

The new version of Spam Blocker 2.1 delivered by the SoftInform company provides maximum efficient protection for user computer (user mailbox in particular) from torrents of "spam". This is due to the fact that all correspondence is analyzed before it is downloaded from the mail server. The application checks the mail and retrieves the headings of all letters pending in the user mailbox (email addresses, sender names, letter subjects, etc.). The new release of "remote" ad blocker features a substantially tuned up interface. The added nice-to-haves include automatic and manual mail check buttons and a visualized process of receiving mail (an animated icon in the system tray and a tool tip with the total number of letters and the number of letters blocked by the application). The main alterations, however, concerned the "technical" facet of the application. Spam Blocker 2.1 is sported as a self-learning application. The new version of the spam-filter automatically registers sender names and servers (domain addresses) in the black (with letters marked as spam) and white (correct) lists.A new release of Spam Blocker from Softinform Version 2.1One of the major problems in the Internet is nothing more nor less than unwanted advertising letters, also known as "spam" - wasted incoming megabytes of information. The mail server filters block only a fraction of proposals to "increase" or "relax". The mighty "authorization" protection is, first of all, expensive (let's not forget the monthly fee), and second of all, it is not very convenient for the people on your contact list (they will have to go through a long and humdrum "access" process). If you want to rid your mail box of "spam", you need a comprehensive anti-ad "shield" that will save the money you spend on traffic by downloading bulky mail, as well as the time you spend on viewing and deleting useless emails. The new version of Spam Blocker 2.1 delivered by the SoftInform company provides maximum efficient protection for user computer (user mailbox in particular) from torrents of "spam". This is due to the fact that all correspondence is analyzed before it is downloaded from the mail server. The application checks the mail and retrieves the headings of all letters pending in the user mailbox (email addresses, sender names, letter subjects, etc.). The new release of "remote" ad blocker features a substantially tuned up interface. The added nice-to-haves include automatic and manual mail check buttons and a visualized process of receiving mail (an animated icon in the system tray and a tool tip with the total number of letters and the number of letters blocked by the application). The main alterations, however, concerned the "technical" facet of the application. Spam Blocker 2.1 is sported as a self-learning application. The new version of the spam-filter automatically registers sender names and servers (domain addresses) in the black (with letters marked as spam) and white (correct) lists.By using various settings of Spam Blocker 2.1 you can fine-adjust the application to suit your needs. Various modes for checking messages (automatic and manual), support of an unlimited number of accounts, checking the mail box at set intervals (e.g., every five minutes) or at user's will, updating system lists, flexible rule settings and lists editing ability make Spam Blocker 2.1 a convenient and irreplaceable tool for blocking "spam". Sick and tired of endless "spam"? Registering new ("clean") mail boxes over and over again? Every day dozens of letters for you and thousands for your company burning up megabytes of traffic that is by no means free? All it takes is to install Spam Blocker 2.1. And watch annoying and useless e-mail advertising disappear.

Your Emeril LaGasse screen theme pops up with "BAM!" going off as it always does. Everything is done loading so you continue the ritual. You open your Outlook Express and the loading begins. Delightful, you've got 384 email messages. Considering you've only got 20 in your contact list, you might have spam. So you check the weather and post in the LiveJournal. The email done by this point. So you start the cleaning process. You've determined that of the 384 emails you've received, 30 were actually something you were interested in. Scene sound familiar? Ever been through the ringer because of spam and it's taken you quite a while to get rid of it all? Even if you set the spam filters for email, it won't cover all of it. Blue Security understands this and they are encouraging users to not get mad, get even. They want you to take play with the "Blue Frog". The Israeli Internet security firm, Blue Security may have a pleasant end for some of those people getting inundated with spam. They've created a "Do Not Intrude Registry that gives users the ability to complain about the deluge of spam they might receive. The way it works is the amount of spam received dictates the amount of complaints. According to their website, if Blue Security gets sent 40,000 spams promoting the same site, that site gets 40,000 complaints right back at it. Eran Aloni, Blue Security's Marketing Director said on the company blog they are "building the community and sending warnings to spammers." The process sounds pretty keen. Various interested parties sign up for the service and complaints build up in honey pots. Then they're dumped on the sites mentioned in the spam people receive. So if www.humongomaleenhancement.com send you spam for natural-unnatural male enhancement products every day, you can simply allow complaints to build in these honeypots and then eventually, www.humongomaleenchancement.com will get hit by tons of these complaints based on each and every spam they had a male enhancement in. There is another side to this story though. An ongoing debate on Blue Security's forum debates the ethics of this project. Blue Security maintains that for every single spam message someone receives, they should be allowed to complain to the parties responsible for it, namely the companies linked too in the spam. Critics say this whole thing is really an unethical DdoS and makes them no better than the groups they say they're protecting people from. As the need for Internet security continues to grow and spam continues to drive people haywire, it stands to reason many would want to take a more active role in defending their computers because people end up with all kinds of garbage on their computers, malicious or just annoying. The questions raised are important as people look for new methods of security, the ethical question is something that must remain in the backs of people's minds. But I do have to admit, it will be sweet seeing the spammers getting a taste of their own medicine.

GFI has today released a new version of GFI MailSecurity for Exchange/SMTP, its email content security solution. Version 9 provides administrators with far greater ease of use and highly reduced maintenance requirements while retaining the product's proven multi-layered defense system - in the form of multiple virus engines, content and attachment checking, spyware and exploit detection, and Trojan/executable scanning. Through its new quarantine filters, search options and web-based configuration, GFI MailSecurity 9 will help administrators ensure that their email servers are secure and efficient with a minimal amount of effort."With its multi-tiered protection, multiple virus engines, email exploit engine, Trojan engine, and more, GFI MailSecurity offers high level email security without compromising performance. The latest version extends GFI MailSecurity's operational power: Version 9's advanced quarantine filters and rules make administering the product a snap. Its enhanced efficiency, coupled with its solid lines of defense, grants administrators additional time to focus on other tasks rather than having to be glued to their email security solution," explained David Vella, GFI Product Manager.Ability to set up custom quarantine filters - for faster sorting of quarantined mailGFI MailSecurity 9 enables administrators to configure a series of search folders (similar to the Microsoft Outlook Search Folders) within the product's 'Quarantine Store', permitting them to manage quarantined emails better and faster. For example, a folder can be set up for emails related to a particular user that were quarantined by virus checking and another for that same user's emails quarantined by attachment checking, allowing administrators to prioritize which folders they check first: It may be more important to examine the attachment checking folder first as this is likelier to contain emails that must be approved and forwarded to users.The latest version of GFI MailSecurity also provides the facility to conduct searches within all emails that it quarantines. Such searches can be performed among inbound or outbound emails to or from a particular user, for instance. Searches can also be carried out based on sender, recipient and the reason for quarantine, freeing the administrator from the need to go through all quarantined emails one by one.Web-based configuration - enables remote management from any locationThe product's web-based configuration allows administrators to configure and monitor the product remotely from any computer that is equipped with a browser - meaning that one can monitor and manage GFI MailSecurity from anywhere in the world. This module also permits remote management of quarantined emails.Other new featuresGFI MailSecurity 9 also includes these new features:• Full threat reporting for quarantined emails - When an email is quarantined, GFI MailSecurity gives a full threat report, detailing all threats identified per email.• Scanning engine speed improvements - The engine now makes full use of multi-processor machines and scans a great volume of mails at a faster pace than ever.A list of all new features is available at http://kbase.gfi.com/showarticle.asp?id=KBID002394.GFI MailSecurity pricing and trial version informationGFI MailSecurity for Exchange/SMTP is an email content checking, exploit detection, threats analysis and anti-virus solution that removes all types of email-borne threats before they can affect one's email users. GFI MailSecurity's key features include multiple virus engines, to guarantee higher detection rate and faster response to new viruses; email content and attachment checking, to quarantine dangerous attachments and content; an exploit shield, to protect against present and future viruses based on exploits; an HTML threats engine, to disable HTML scripts; a Trojan & Executable Scanner, to detect malicious executables; and more. Pricing starts at just US$350 for 25 mailboxes. More information and a free trial version of the product are available at http://www.gfi.com/mailsecurity/.

The term "spam" means different things to different people. I tend to take the broader definition. When I talk about Spam, I mean unsolicited bulk e-mail, messages that have not been sent to you personally. It's JUNK e-mail.
A new survey by Consumer Reports released Tuesday night, finds that spam has eased for some users, but it's getting worse for many others. The magazine contacted 3,200 households with Internet access. 54% said at least half of their e-mail is spam. 33% say they are getting much more junk e-mail than they did a year ago.
Because my e-mail address is on the KOMO Web site, my in-bin is over-flowing with spam
I get dozens of e-mails each week pushing erectile dysfunction pills. Why in the world would someone buy any prescription drug this way - from an e-mail that pops up in their computer - even if they needed the stuff? Because the ads all say "no prescription required."
Of course, maybe they're not selling the real drug, it could be counterfeit. How would you know? The bottom line: buying any prescription drug by responding to an e-mail like this is just plain stupid.
A lot of my spam looks like it's from people giving me a quote on a home mortgage. They promise low-low rates with very little money down. Some of them are made to sound like they're responding to an e-mail I sent them. They're not.
What are they up to? Who knows. But it's a great way to get your personal information for identity theft!
There are also the "urgent" messages disguised to look like they came from your bank, eBay, Pay Pal or some other trusted service provider. They all tell you there's a problem with your account (the reasons vary) and they need you to click on a link in the e-mail to give them your personal information. Why? So they can steal it! These "phisihing" scams, as they're called are huge problem and getting bigger.
The big Internet Service Providers, AOL, EarthLink, and Microsoft feel your pain, and they're working to filter out the spam before you get it. They're also going to court to shutdown the spammers sending out all this e-mail. So, if your ISP offers spam filters, make sure you enable them!
Consumer Reports says Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Apple OS 10.4 Mail do an excellent job of blocking spam. So, if you have old versions, Consumer Reports says you might want to upgrade. Do this, the editors say, and you won't need to buy separate spam blocking software.
Of course, some people prefer to go with an add-on blocker. For it's September issue, Consumer Reports tested 7 of these programs and two were clear standouts.
The editors says Allume Systems SpamCatcher 4 did an excellent job. It "tags spam to help you delete it quickly," they say. SpamCatcher 4 sells for around $30 and there's a $10 annual fee. There is no phone support with this product.
Consumer Reports says Mail Frontier Desktop is another excellent choice. The editors point out that Mail Frontier Desktop is "easier to setup" than SpamCatcher4. It blocks Windows Messenger pop-ups and identifies fraudulent e-mail. Mail Frontier is also priced at $30 with a $15 annual fee.

The story began when senior producer Allan Maraynes asked me if we could trace a piece of pornographic spam e-mail back to the person who sent it. Tracing spam is never easy. And as with any investigative story, we were not sure where the journey would lead.
But there are clues that we could follow.
The idea became a journey into how an adjunct one of the world's oldest businesses was combining with one of the newest trades. The trail would give us an opportunity to show viewers the money at stake, the lack of regulations, how this affects people's lives, and the people involved in the industry. One operating theme, as correspondent John Hockenberry said during the piece, was "return to sender."
We began doing something that most people would never do: We sought out spam. Associate Producer Michelle Feuer asked groups who complain about spam to provide us with examples so that we could glimpse the scope of what is out there. Within a couple weeks we had hundreds of different kinds of e-mail.
Once we got the e-mails, we began culling through them.
One of the worst aspects of the story is that we had to do what those who do not want spam should never do: We had to start by looking at those e-mails. The problem with that is, depending on the program you use for e-mail- like Outlook or Eudora- and how you adjust your settings, you run the risk of downloading a virus on your computer.
Here are some of the clues we were evaluating:
Every e-mail contains what is known as header information - information that offers clues about the route traveled by the e-mail to reach you. It will have a list of IP addresses. These are like those old stamps you would see on vintage steamer trunks, telling you about the various ports traveled through. Each address-a set of numbers-tells you the computers that e-mail passed through. And you can look up who owns those computers, though there is always a risk that the information is not accurate. These are known as "whois" searches. There are various places you could go for these kinds of searches, including this Web site.
You can look up who owns the pornographic Web site promoted by the spammer. For instance, we learned quickly that the owner of the Web site we eventually decided to profile was owned by a Canadian company called Global Media Resources. Trade publications such as Adult Video News profiled the company as a substantial player in the Internet porn business.
There are also other ways to learn about sites. For instance, a Web site operator- like any kind of company- could be involved in a business-related dispute. And just like traditional trade name disputes, Internet sites may get tangled in arguments about who owns a Web site name. A springboard to examine those is this site. And like any proceeding, the documents filed can offer another glimpse into a Web site operator.
Another resource are anti-spam organizations like Spamhaus. We did not use Spamhaus to track the spammer in our story. But the group compiles a lot of useful information about spammers.
Other clues could be embedded in e-mails. Even though e-mails could be filled with fancy graphics-or offensive pornography-there are ways to examine the source code used to assemble the missive. The ways to do so depend on your e-mail software. In the case examined by Dateline NBC, the source code told us what would happened if we "Clicked Here" on the e-mail, the computer routes that would be taken to the porn site. And we could see that there was a numeric code- something we later confirmed was an ID used by the spammer to get paid by the pornographic Web site. That ID number, visible in the source code of the spam profiled in the story, proved crucial to tracking down our spammer.
All of these approaches could be useful to tracking any spammer, not just those in the porn business.
We learned that the spam that so offended Julie in Texas was seemed to have been sent on this continent and that it involved a big pornographic Web site operator in Canada. There's a lot of spam that comes from all around the world, including China and some of the former Soviet republics. At least we were going to remain in North America for this story.
So at this point, we did not know the identity of the spammer. But we had leads to pursue.
It did not take long to learn something else about the pornographic Internet business: to combat child pornography, the U.S. government requires Web site operators to post a list of its Custodians of Record. The records are contracts and other documents showing those photographed for the Web sites are 18 years old or older. Often, these are photographers. So at most pornographic Web sites, you may notice a link tucked away that would lists Custodians of Records. You would know who has the documents. You get the company name and often an address. (But you cannot see the actual model contracts documenting the ages. Those are available only to law enforcement officials). These list of document keepers was another avenue for us to pursue. You can learn more about this law here.
One footnote: U.S. law requires spammers and other e-mail mass mailers to include a way to opt out of getting further e-mails. You may have seen these. They say something like "If You Don't Want More Emails From Us, Click Here." Spam experts told us you should think twice about ever clicking this. Opting out something you should only do if you trust the sender. If not, and you do click, it could tell a spammer that your e-mail account is for real, and that you read stuff from people you don't know. It's added incentive for them to keep spamming you. And since the law is rarely enforced, there is little you could really do to get the spammer to stop using this opt-out provision. Australia is one place that experts say has a much different approach, where you would have to opt in to get mass marketing e-mails to begin with.
On the hunt for the spammer, we learned about the Internet porn industry's major convention in Las Vegas. It precedes a better-publicized event designed more for those who are fans of porn stars. Producer Lynne Dale and correspondent John Hockenberry went there in January 2004, and saw first hand how the industry is constantly looking for ways to boost traffic-getting people to visit their Web sites. Key players in the business say they oppose spam as a means to do this. But as many people with e-mail accounts know, it still goes on. As you saw in the story, when they spoke with John Hockenberry, the Global Media representatives promised to reveal the name and address of Julie's spammer- the identity of the person we'd only known by a code number.
It's important to know that spammers make money not just by spamming you, but by selling your e-mail address (along with millions of others) to other spammers. It's an added reminder to be careful about giving out your e-mail address.
Avoiding spam
A good way for you to help avoid spam is with a spam filter. Ray Everett-Church, an anti-spam expert who appeared in the story, e-mailed this to us regarding spam filters:
The software that I have come to depend on personally is SpamAssassin, a free software package that is built and maintained by a volunteer community of anti-spam fighters. It's mainly for use on mail servers by ISPs and enterprises, but the same technology is available to the average user through another free software package called PopFile. It runs on Windows machines and works with just about any e-mail software like Outlook or Thunderbird. (But not proprietary services like AOL or Web mail services like Hotmail or Yahoo.) There are decent anti-spam software offerings from some of the big name anti-virus companies, but they can cost money and aren't all that more effective than PopFile. The upside of those, however, is that they have good service and support and are easy for the average user to install.
I also use Cloudmark's SafetyBar which is a plug-in for Outlook. It works alright as well, and is pretty easy to use.
If you want to be safe, anti-spam experts caution you to never open e-mails from someone you don't know, and to even turn off e-mail preview features. Anti-spam filters can also be a big help to block unwanted missives from even going into your inbox. There is a lot of money at stake with planting viruses on computers. The viruses can hijack your connection to the Internet, making you the unwitting sender of spam. Or the viruses could make you face unwanted popups, and push your Web browser to places you don't want to go.