🗑 What is spam and how to fight it: the origin of the term, types, methods of prevention and filtering

What is Spam

To understand the problem, you should first become familiar with the origin of the term. There is a basic version, where did the word Spam, and why it is so came to be called intrusive or unnecessary information disseminated by the way, not only through a global network.

During the Second World War, a large number of canned hams were produced for the needs of the US Army, named SPAM - or SpicedHam. It was so much that the military did not have time to use all the products. It was therefore decided to carry out an advertising campaign for the realization of inventories. SPAM ham met at every corner: on billboards, in TV commercials, in newspapers, on the radio.

Subsequently, the term return happened after the popular comedian comedy sketch group "Monti Python ", in which a person who comes into the restaurant by reading the menu, meets in each dish ham. Even when to bring a dish solicitation without this product, the waiter offered him options with a small amount SPAMa. According to the results over the scenes that word occurs more 100 times.

The modern concept of the term formed in 1993, when as a result of an error in the code of the program, send letters, it sent Bole 200 of identical e-mails to different addresses. But then it was just a mistake - not malicious, as opposed to the modern spam.

In this sense, the term Spam hides anonymous or non-personified newsletter, which has a mass character, carried out by means of special software. This method extends the commercial, political or other advertising people did not consent to receive it.

Despite the fact that the term mostly deal with it e-mail newsletter, a similar problem exists in all areas where the Internet is involved. In particular, a malicious sending of advertising information in the messenger called SPIM. There is a term SPIT, indicating spam through IP-telephony.

Types harmless spam

Meet spam or mass mailing of advertising information can not only online, but also offline. Yet it is the Internet is a real breeding ground for him. Encounter with him possible on these services.

1. Email. Option, which remains one of the most beloved by spammers as through mail newsletter containing malicious code that manages to deceive unsuspecting users, infect computers and simply promote products or services. Get database of email addresses can be through the purchase of hackers who specialize in this.
2. Forums. Since the rules of such resources imply the possibility of leaving comments in the messages, spammers often try to take advantage of a loophole for posting information. Most often, this path is used by webmasters for the remaining links to the site you want, allowing you to pick it up in the search results. This helps them to increase traffic and attract money.
3. Social networks. The resources that have become very popular over the past few years. Most often, spam can occur in sends you a message. distribution source of bots or artificially created accounts, which hides no living person, and a special program that is configured to generate the message.
4. SMS. short Messages on your phone They may also contain spam in the form of advertising, whereby unscrupulous vendors try to promote their own products.
5. search engines. Specific species, which is familiar to every user of the Internet. When you enter a search query opens a lot of sites that are not related to the search subject. This doorway pages, or pages where information is generated automatically. Using similar methods leads to spam the search engines, but it brings the owners of money due to the transition of users on the link.

All spam can be divided into a harmless and malicious. The first is largely promotional in nature and does not lead to an infection or attempts to find out usernames and passwords. He's just annoying. The second type is created for committing illegal acts in order to obtain access to personal human information, or infecting your computer for inclusion in the generated botnet to commit hacker attacks.

Advertise legal and prohibited goods

A kind of spam that aims to promote products or services through the creation of a mass mailing. This method is relatively inexpensive, unlike other forms of advertising, and leads to a rapid achievement of the desired result is due to mass.

There is also a range of services, which is prohibited by law to advertise. In this case, the only way of getting unsolicited correspondence.

TONOTICE! (Click to see)

The impact on public opinion and chain letters

Spamming often is one of the methods of influence on public opinion. This technique is used in commercial activities in order to discredit the person, as well as in the political sphere, when it is required to increase ratings, or, conversely, to withdraw a competitor out of the fight.

The second popular scheme involves sending so-called "chain letters." The purpose of this correspondence is to replenish the base of email addresses for sale to her or to send bulk mail.

hazardous

If harmless spam more annoying his obsession, the dangerous species is much worse, as their focus is the defeat of the victim's computer with the purpose of gaining control of a PC, recognition of passwords and usernames, and other fraud operations. Every year, a variety of techniques is increasing.

phishing

The name of this method comes from the English word fishing, meaning "fishing." The essence of the method is to use a "bait" in the form of a fake web page known resource for user motivation to make the transition to the link or the abandonment of personal information. This may be a request from a bank or a letter from the postal service with the requirement to login and a password to regain access to your account. Most often, the data that entice users, used by hackers to steal real money.

Nigerian letter

I named this species owes Nigeria, since the beginning of the greatest number of messages recorded from this country. The method consists in sending a user to the letter, which reported on the presence of inheritance, which is required to make a transfer small amounts of money on these details. After that, the user is deprived of funds, and more nobody bothers.

malware

This group includes a variety of viruses - trojans and "worms." Can infect your computer by opening a file attached to the letter, or the transition of the specified link in the email. Some species of this infection can immediately lead to disruptions in the normal operation of the PC, and the other does not manifest itself. Their task is tracking user activity, gathering input usernames and passwords and send this information to the address of the attacker.

TONOTICE! (Click to see)

Working methods of spammers

The first task of a spammer for its future work is to collect email addresses. They will be used to send malicious messages or advertising. There are several ways to find addresses and e-mail:

• The use of a dictionary selection, since most of the boxes referred to by name or user name, or other vocabulary words;
• selection by analogy, when the address found in the same system is simply copied to the replacement of the domain name;
• use of software-harvesters - search bots that collect e-mail addresses;
• buying an existing database;
• the use of viruses or Trojans to gather information.

After collecting a number of addresses spammer checks their status in order to isolate active. In this case, the following operations are performed:

• Trial dispatch with subsequent analysis of the mail server to respond to mail reception;
• introduction into the body of the letter links to a picture are automatically loaded when you open the message;
• Paste button "unsubscribe" when pushed, it does not lead to the termination of the distribution, but according to a spammer on the activity of this post.

Professional mass mailing is done through three main methods that are used extensively by spammers:

• direct sending a pre-leased servers;
• misconfigured application proxy or relay;
• install a backdoor or a special software, which provides access to the victim's computer to carry out mailings.

Knowledge of methods of mass sending of spam for people, in principle, not required. It is more important to know how to protect themselves from such phenomena as spam.

Methods of protection against spam, depending on the type of

A large variety of methods for mailing dictates necessity commit preventive protective measures by the user. For each type has its own characteristics prevent getting unnecessary or dangerous information.

Email

Because this method of spam spread among the most popular and affordable, you should know the rules of conduct when dealing with mailbox to prevent negative consequences. in the field of IT experts give clear instructions:

• to have two addresses. One used only for personal correspondence, and the second to apply for registration at various sites;
• come up with a complicated name for the box, it was impossible to pick up the address by brute force (exhaustive search of the most common options);
• the use of a complex password that includes numbers, mixed case;
• not open the letter, obviously with an advertising focus;
• never pass on the proposed links, if the user is not sure of the legitimacy of the resource;
• the inclusion of automatic spam filtering in the mail;
• do not believe everything on the floor. This applies to the Nigerian letters or messages on prizes. Free cheese is only in a mousetrap.

Social networks

Sending spam through social networks is carried out either with a hacked account, or through phishing web pages. To prevent obtaining unauthorized access to its own page, the most reliable way is to choose a double authentication system, when an additional way confirm the entry using the phone number listed at registration.

Among the methods of fighting spam sotsesetyah applies the correct account settings. You can disable the ability to leave comments, or other people's posts on the home page or to give such a right only to friends or a limited number of persons.

Also, it is useful to install special software to block spam. They are configured in such a way that the scanning or communication isolate having the following characteristics junk mailing:

• references;
• flood;
• insults.

Spam calls to phone

Method of Distribution of unsolicited advertising, which is also rapidly gaining momentum. In most cases, to protect themselves from unwanted calls is easy as modern smartphones are essentially computers in miniature, and have a set of useful features:

• blocking undesirable from entering it in the black list;
• setting the right dialer only for subscribers from the contacts list;
• because most of the spam calls performed with Moscow numbers, you can put a ban on entering code 495 and 499;
• the use of third-party software.

spamdexing

This kind of annoying advertisements from webmasters who want to quickly raise your resource in search engines, is removed by the search engines. As Yandex and Google has sophisticated algorithms to determine zaspamlennye texts. The indicator is checked for indexing. In the case of over-optimization search engine just does not miss a site, and it will not get in the search.

TONOTICE! (Click to see)

Programs to block spam

There are many programs, the purpose of which is filtered, followed by blocking incoming messages on the mail. The principle of operation is similar for all: on the basis of known algorithms are evaluated mailing related to spam. The editors of the portal offers a selection of free solutions.

SPAMfighter 7.6.148

A free utility, which is a filtration system for programs such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Windows Mail. It helps prevent receiving phishing emails, steal passwords and usernames, and other fraudulent activities.

Spamihilator 1.6

Free product that adjusts to the filtering of unwanted messages in the mail. A large number of filters embedded in a system of analysis of incoming emails, can protect against most of the known types of spam.

Agnitum Spam Terrier 2.1

The main feature of this tool is its ability to learn and easy integration with all email clients. The program provides fast filtration rate, allows you to create white and black lists of addressees. Available for both 32-bit and 64-bit system.

Agava SpamProtexx

The utility, which has a very simple and intuitive interface, a high speed. The program carries out its work on low-level system, conducting filtering POP3 and IMAP-protocol, which allows its integration in any e-mail system. There is support for secure SSL-connection. Filtration module learner.

Spam can be not just annoying ads and cause serious troubles, including the theft of money from private accounts. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognize the enemy and know methods of protection from this phenomenon. Once again, see the main ways to avoid receiving unsolicited mailing can be by watching the video.