Spam Filter – Bayesian Filter to Fight back Spammers

The most prolific and path breaking innovation of last century had been the developments in the communication field. It literally changed the business working, product marketing, support services and most importantly, the advertisement campaigns.

But just like all goods things comes with a price, so was the communication. It brought in the problems of Spam Emails. Automated mailers with mass mailing capabilities, growing marketing dependencies on this tool have seen the large losses in terms of time and money.

There have been many ways of targeting spam mails like blacklisted domains, banned IPs, words in subject and many more. The spammers have always found out a way to change their identity. But here is the catch. The spammers are being paid to send the message. They can change their Domains, IPs, subject lines, but how much they can play with the contents? And that’s where content based filtering comes into focus. Now we can understand that by targeting and focusing on message body, there is a better chance of filtering spam emails.

Apart from the usual spam emails, the new menace has been created by the “phishing emails” targeting primarily eBay and PayPal accounts. These emails come as a “Last Warning”, “Attention Required”, “Password Change Required” or “Your account is suspended” among many more. These mails appear to have come from eBay or PayPal and provide a link to their own page.

These pages are designed just like the original pages and the unsuspecting user ends up providing his/her sensitive information like username/password or Credit Card Information to these duplicate pages. Here I would like to add one piece of advice to all users that you should always see where the link is taking you by seeing the tool tip and then if sure, follow the link.

The role of content in marking the mail spam or not spam has been achieved using the Bayesian filter. Together with the Black List of spammers and White list of trusted emails ids, is the best technique to counter the spam. The most interesting fact is that Spam Filter with Bayesian algorithm is a self learning filter. The more you use, the more secure you shall be within a matter of few days.

The spam filter integrate easily with popular emails clients such MS outlook and Outlook Express. With due course, up to 98% of the spam mails can be stopped from entering your Inbox. The Spam Filter for Outlook Express and Spam Filter for Microsoft Outlook, with the features of White List/Black List and properly used Bayesian Algorithm will help prevent spam mails, phishing mails and fraud mails from bothering you further.

There has been a considerable increase in the spam mails containing Non English Characters also. The Bayesian Algorithm based Spam Filter also must have the capability to parse non English characters and mark as spam mail.

To get rid of continuous spam mails, phishing mails, fraud mails and Non-English mails, you might like to try Official Spam Filter for Outlook Express 1.2 and Official Spam Filter for Microsoft Outlook 1.2. Official Spam Filter has the capability to seamlessly integrate with MS Outlook and Outlook Express and provide following features:

•Bayesian Algorithm for Anti Spam Filtering

•Auto Learning Bayesian Filter to challenge Spam Emails

•White List of Trusted Email Address

•Custom Black List

•Individual Marking of Spam/Not Spam Emails

•Optional feature to block Non-English Emails

•Complete Mail Header Information

For more information, visit Spam Filter

Save Time, Money and Hassle – Stop Spam

Spam can be an absolute nightmare, and one that seems to spiral out of control in some of my email accounts. If i’ve been away for a few days and haven’t had a chance to check my emails, I dread having to open up my email client when I get back online in anticipation of hundreds or thousands of spam emails.

Although I simply delete these emails, for some, they seem legitimate messages that can often cause the recipient to become the subject of a fraudulent activity. An example of this that many people may have experienced are the emails that claim that you have won the lottery in some country that you probably haven’t even visited, or emails that ask for you to help claim a substantial amount of money for someone who claims to be entitled to millions of dollars from a lost relative. These types of emails are laughable but for a lesser experienced internet user, they pose a great threat.

This was when I decided to use a spam blocker to prevent the hassle and time wasted deleting spam emails.

Spam has been around since the medium of email became popular. Even though there have been several laws passed that are trying to limit the amount of spamming activity, it still exists. A good way to stop the annoyance and the time wasted deleting spam emails is by using a spam blocker. They can also save you a lot of money in the scenario where you are unfortunate enough to receive a virus from a spam email. This has happened to me before, and I can honestly say I will now do everything possible to stop it from happening again because of the hassle and time it took to get my pc back to the way it was. In fact this took several weeks and numerous times formatting my hardware, which despite my best efforts resulted in quite a few programs and software being lost.

But why do people fall victim to spam emails? The truth is that the spammer is becoming cleverer in the way that they set up the scams. It was not so long ago that I received an email which was apparently from Paypal. The email was pretty well written and even the links seemed to point to the Paypal site. I felt it was not genuine though as it asked me to click a link to visit the “Paypal” site, whereas I had read some time ago never to click a link in an email to visit the site, but to type the address directly into your internet browser so that you can rest assured that the site is genuine. It is a distinct possibility that many internet users will have fallen for these types of emails.

Do not become a victim of the consequence of spam emails. A spam blocker is a simple solution that will prevent the emails from ever reaching your inbox. They can save you time, money, hassle, and any potential problems that spam emails possess.

How To Stop Spambots Harvesting Your Email Address

It’s an unfortunate thing, but the internet certainly has its share of unscrupulous people. In my opinion, the worst amongst these are those that deploy software robots to roam the web and harvest email addresses from web pages. These addresses are then collated into huge databases and sold for the purpose of spam.

Now we all hate spam and anything that can be done to reduce it is very worthwhile. This is not rocket science and a basic knowledge of html and how to cut and paste will see you protected from the spambots. All we are going to use is a bit of javascript.

First, open Notepad or any text editor and then copy and paste the following into the file.

/* This script provides for a straightforward email address in a web page.
In your web page add the following:-
*/
function blocker(name)
{
var domain =”yourdomainname.com”;
document.write(‘‘ + name + ‘@’ + domain + ‘‘);
}

/* This script adds a subject field to the email.

function blockersubject(name,subject)
{
var domain =”yourdomainname.com”;
document.write(‘‘ + name + ‘@’ + domain + ‘‘);
}

/* This script is for using as an “Email Us” or like in a menu system or on a page.
Insert the following in your web page:-

function blocker2(name,text)
{
var domain =”yourdomainname.com”;
document.write(‘‘ + text + ‘‘);
}

/* This script allows the adding of a subject, but also displayable text for a menu system. In your web page place the following:-
*/

function blockersubject2(name,subject,text)
{
var domain =”yourdomainname.com”;
document.write(‘‘ + text + ‘‘);
}

//End of file.

Save the file as blocker.js in your document folders because this script can be reused over and over for as many different web pages as you like. You only need to change the variables in the script.

To get the scripts to work, there are a couple of things you need to do. I usually create a sub-directory for my javascript and actually call it that. Any javascript for the web page can be stored there. Save a copy of the file blocker.js to this directory and then edit all the variables to suit your site.

Now you need to allow the scripts to be called and the web page needs to know where they are. The easiest way to achieve this is to have the information in the section of your document. Before the closing tag, and assuming you have saved the file to a javascript sub-directory, insert the following line of code:-

(Insert less than sign)script type=”text/javascript” src=”javascript/common.js”>(insert less than sign)/script>

You will just have to make sure that the path to the javascript sub-directory is correct for the document. This is simple if you use Dreamweaver as you can modify the template for your site and it will update all the pages. If you are using php includes, you will need to make sure that the path is correct from your header template through to the javascript directory. A little playing will usually get this sorted out for you.

One final thing that you should be aware of and that is that not everyone has javascript turned on. If a visitor hits your page and has javascript turned off then they won’t be able to see your email addresses at all. To resolve this, enter the following code just below the area where the email address is supposed to appear.

(Insert less than sign)noscript>

If you are seeing this, then Javascipt is not turned on in your browser and you won’t be able to see our email addresses. They are hidden by Javascript. You can either turn your Javascript on or alternately email us at youraddress at domainname dot com

(insert less than sign)/noscript>

Make sure you do not use the @ sign or put the dot in or even type the full email address properly. You will destroy all the good work you’ve done.

And there you have it. A simple piece of javascript that will prevent your email address being harvested by the nasty little bots that roam the web.

How to Categorize a Computer Virus

Many computer users don’t understand the categorization of computer viruses. They are many different viruses and these viruses are generally found in three categories. Some people say that their computer got hit with a Trojan Horse, b32 Worm, Phyllis, or Bomb virus but these operate differently and aren’t the same as many users think that they are. In any event, you want to try to protect yourself as much as possible against any type of program that can do harm to your computer.

The most common and basic categorization for viruses is pretty simple. The computer virus has been around for years, even in the old ARAPNET programs that the government would use before the internet became part of the public sector for all to use. A computer virus, attaches itself to a program or file, much like we carry germs from a cold or flu, and spreads that virus from one computer to another. I’m starting to think that we as humans have many similarities to a computer!

Well, if you’ve ever had someone spread a cold in your office or home, you know that it can leave an infection. If you have children, then you know if one child gets it, the other child, depending on how strong their immune system is, may not be far behind in catching the same virus, be it cold, strep throat or sore throat.

Computer viruses have a range of effects. Some are not so bad while others can be damaging. It’s like the difference between a cough and rheumatic fever. That’s the range of computer virus classifications.

You have to watch out when you get an executable file (a file with an extension of EXE). This means that the culprit or virus is lurking somewhere in the jungle of programs that you have on your precious system but the virus cannot effect your system unless you open it. If you open it, then chances are if you do not have virus protection software, the virus will spread to other programs, including your emails and email attachments.

Anti-Virus software is the remedy for computer viruses and usually wipes them out with ease. I think I will go run my anti-virus program so that I can be a good example of keeping the germs out of my computer. Hope that you will do the same!

Microsoft IT Certification Programs

Considering an IT Certification program also includes knowing what is available to you and what the specialization will allow you to do as well as limit you to do. There are several providers that will offer specialized programs that can affect the qualifications that you have. One of the providers that offer these specialized programs is Microsoft. By knowing what programs they use, you can determine if it is the right program for your IT Certification and specialization in technology.

The first type of training that Microsoft provides is the Microsoft Office Specialist. This will give you the basics about different Microsoft databases that are frequently used. The latest versions of Microsoft word applications, such as Microsoft Office will be studied. You will learn about Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Access with the Office Specialist Certification.

The second type of IT Certification that you can get from Microsoft is the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer, or MCSD. This particular certification will give you knowledge about how to develop different technology programs used by Microsoft. If you are interested in this particular certification, you will be taking four exams to get the entire credit. This will be used to develop visual studios, using the Internet, and how to use Microsoft’s software of ADO. From here, you will learn how the infrastructure of Microsoft works, especially in relation to databases, e-commerce and different maintenance structures.

Another type of training that you can get from Microsoft is known as the Microsoft Certified Trainer. These are the people that will be training you to teach the technology and troubleshooting areas that are related to Microsoft. If you get this type of training, you will be able to provide online or in the classroom training to others who wish to become IT Certified.

A Certified Database Administrator is another option for those interested in IT Certification. This will allow you to work with the infrastructure of a company as well as to implement certain software when needed into a company. This specific IT Certification will require for you to take three exams. One will be based on your understanding of the server that you will be using, known as SQL. You will also learn about the environment that is related to this server, and how it affects the various databases. Learning the other software, how to maintain and develop the different software and applying the right technology into the right areas will also be part of this certification training.

Patch It Up

Most of us have been in relationships that haven’t been too good. Somewhere, something got in the way (sometimes it’s another person) which caused everything to go haywire, If you’ve ever had the feeling of things in your life not being in sync, losing sleep and wondering about what got in the way, you try to find out what it is and patch it up before it’s too late and everything is lost.

I won’t break out into a love song but the same goes for your computer system.
Operating software has come a long way in the last twenty years. It has allowed the average computer user to do dynamic things that were unthinkable 15 years ago. Any software can be penetrated and there are holes within the software, especially in Windows and Microsoft programs. Microsoft has online updates and has a routine that can scan your system and automatically update your computer.
You should not ignore these critical updates. Microsoft has a set of engineers that purposely try to hack their own software to see where security holes are so that they can recommend security updates. I know that most people ignore their update flash because they don’t have the time to download the updates, they are in a hurry or it might interfere with the game of Solitaire that they are playing on the computer.
You should run the Windows update program once every week and if Microsoft provides you guidance to run a special program you should run it.
After you run the programs, you should make a backup or rescue disk. This is a lost art because people have become so comfortable with their systems and they don’t think their data can be destroyed. You must have a backup disk available if you want to put your data back on the system after a crash.
Windows XP has a great restore program and I recommend that you study it. If you have a crash that isn’t too drastic, the restore program will actually ask you questions, provide you a restore point (which is primarily a past date) and the system is automatically restored to that point. Keep in mind that it’s good after a restore to run virus protection routines manually.
Your virus protection software also has the option of creating restore disks too.

Patch up your system so that nothing comes in and tears it apart!

Offline and Online Identity Theft

These are some basic steps to take to prevent online and offline identity theft:
In the case of Credit cards, Debit cards, and Credit reports:
1. Reduce the number of credit and debit cards carried in your wallet. While using debit cards take advantage of online access to your bank account to monitor account activity frequently and report evidence of fraud to your financial institution immediately.
2. When using your credit and debit cards at restaurants and stores, pay attention to how the magnetic stripe information is swiped by the waiter or clerk because devices called skimmers can download the account number data onto a personal computer.
3. Do not use debit cards when shopping online, instead use a credit card because you are better protected in case of fraud.
4. Keep a list or photocopy of all your credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, and investments – the account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of the customer service and fraud departments – in a secure place.
5. Never give out your Social Security Number, credit or debit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail, or on the Internet unless you have a trusted business relationship with the company or if you have initiated the call.
6. Always take credit card receipts with you and never toss them in a public trash container.
7. Do not permit your credit card number to be written onto your checks.
8. Order your credit report at least once a year because if you are a victim of identity theft, your credit report will contain the tell-tale signs.

In case of Passwords and PINs:
1. When creating passwords and PINs, do not use anything that could easily be discovered by thieves.
2. Ask your financial institutions to add extra security protection to your account like an additional code or password when accessing your account.
3. Memorize all your passwords and don’t record them on anything in your wallet.
 
In case of Social Security Numbers:
1. Protect your Social Security Number and release it only when absolutely necessary for e.g. tax forms, employment records, most banking, stock and property transactions.
2. Do not have your SSN or driver’s license number printed on your checks.
3. Examine your Social Security Personal Earnings and Benefits Estimate Statement each year to check against fraud.
4. Do not carry your SSN card in your wallet except for situations when it is required.
 
In case of Internet and other Computer safeguards:
1. Install a firewall on your computer to prevent hackers from obtaining personal information and financial data from your hard drive
2. Install and update virus protection software to prevent a virus from causing your computer to send out files or other stored information.
3. Password-protect files that contain sensitive personal data, such as financial account information, etc.

Careers In Fiber Optics Technologies

For those that are looking into fiber optics technology technology, they may also be noticing that there are several routes to take. You can get a security certification in fiber optics technology. There are several training programs that can allow you to get IT Certification in fiber optics, all which will increase your ability to work in a specified career field or understand the details of how fiber optics works.

Fiber optics is based around understanding the role that technology has when light has to move through the fibers. This allows the fibers to become transparent and allow for a display. If you are dealing with fiber optics, it will usually include understanding how to transmit this light through glass or plastic. Telecommunications, medicine, industrial areas and other types of areas will all use fiber optics in order to enable their technology to create the right display.

After you know what fiber optics is, you can decide if it is a field that you would be interested in studying in. There are various types of fiber optics training that will allow someone to do a variety of things in order to get the displays right with technology. Usually, an IT program that teaches fiber optics for an IT Certification will include education about how fiber optics works, as well as details on how to use them for your benefit.

Technicians who are working towards the goal of getting IT Certification in fiber optics will first learn safety issues that are related to this specific field. They will then learn how to install and split fiber optics into certain technological devices. From here, they will learn how to link the different fibers and to test the links to make sure that they are working correctly. If there are problems, technicians will also need to help those dealing with fiber optics. There are specific courses in the IT Certification programs that allows for a fiber optic technician to learn the troubleshooting when dealing with this field.

Fiber optics will also go into more details that relate directly to how information technology works. When you are getting into this career field, or if you need to know it to relate to a different career that you are in, there will be several levels of understanding associated with it. One of the requirements for getting IT Certification in fiber optics is to know how to plan a route for the fiber optics to move into the technology area. You will also need to know how to install or take out the technology that is in a certain area. If you can’t simply trouble shoot to find a problem with the fiber optics, then you will also need to know how to test the technology, even if it is before it goes into the specified area. These several techniques will be important to learn when getting your IT Certification.

Spam: Where it Came From, and How to Escape It.

Who Cooked This!? (How did it all start?)

The modern meaning of the word “spam” has nothing to do with spiced ham. In the early 1990’s, a skit by British comedy group Monty Python led to the word’s common usage. “The SPAM Skit” follows a couple struggling to order dinner from a menu consisting entirely of Hormel’s canned ham.

Repetition is key to the skit’s hilarity.

The actors cram the word “SPAM” into the 2.5 minute skit more than 104 times! This flood prompted Usenet readers to call unwanted newsgroup postings “spam.” The name stuck.

Spammers soon focused on e-mail, and the terminology moved with them. Today, the word has come out of technical obscurity. Now, “spam” is the common term for “Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail”, or “UCE.”

Why Does Bad Spam Happen to Good People?

Chances are, you’ve been spammed before. Somehow, your e-mail address has found it’s way into the hands of a spammer, and your inbox is suffering the consequences. How does this happen? There are several possibilities.

Backstabbing Businesses.

Businesses often keep lists of their customers’ e-mail addresses. This is a completely legitimate practice and, usually, nothing bad comes of it. Sometimes though, the temptation to make a quick buck is too great, and these lists are sold or rented to outside advertisers. The result? A lot of unsolicited e-mail, and a serious breach of trust.

Random Address Generation.

Computer programs called random address generators simply “guess” e-mail addresses. Over 100 million hotmail addresses exist – howhard could it be to guess some of them? Unfortunately for many unsuspecting netizens – not too hard. Many spammers also guess at
“standard” addresses, like “support@yourdomain.com”,
“info@yourdomain.com”, and “billing@yourdomain.com.”

Web Spiders.

Today’s most insidious list-gathering tools are web spiders. All of the major search engines spider the web, saving information about each page. Spammers use tools that also spider the web, but save any e-mail address they come across. Your personal web page lists your e-mail address? Prepare for an onslaught!

Chat Room Harvesting.

ISP’s offer vastly popular chat rooms where users are known only by their screen names. Of course, spammers know that your screen name is the first part of your e-mail address. Why waste time guessing e-mail addresses when a few hours of lurking in a chat room can net a list of actively-used addresses?

The Poor Man’s Bad Marketing Idea.

It didn’t work for the phone companies, and it won’t work for e-mail marketers. But, some spammers still keep their own friends-and-family-style e-mail lists. Compiled from the addresses of other known spammers, and people or businesses that the owner has come across in the past, these lists are still illegitimate. Why? Only you can give someone permission to send you e-mail. A friend-of-a-friend’s permission won’t cut it.

Stop The Flood to Your Inbox.

Already drowning in spam? Try using your e-mail client’s filters – many provide a way to block specific e-mail addresses. Each time you’re spammed, block the sender’s address. Spammers skip from address to address, and you may be on many lists, but this method will at least slow the flow.

Also, use more than one e-mail address, and keep one “clean.” Many netizens find that this technique turns the spam flood into a trickle. Use one address for only spam-safe activities like e-mailing your friends, or signing on with trustworthy businesses. Never use your clean address on the web! Get a free address to use on the web and in chat rooms.

If nothing else helps, consider changing screen names, or opening an entirely new e-mail account. When you do, you’ll start with a clean, spam-free slate. This time, protect your e-mail address!

Stay Off Spammed Lists in the Future.

Want to surf the web without getting sucked into the spam-flood? Prevention is your best policy. Don’t use an easy-to-guess e-mail address. Keep your address clean by not using it for spam-centric activities. Don’t post it on any web pages, and don’t use it in chat rooms or newsgroups.

Before giving your clean e-mail address to a business, check the company out. Are sections of its user agreement dedicated to anti-spam rules? Does a privacy policy explain exactly what will be done with your address? The most considerate companies also post an anti-spam policy written in plain English, so you can be absolutely sure of what you’re getting into.

Think You’re Not a Spammer? Be Sure.

Many a first-time marketer has inadvertently spammed his audience. The first several hundred complaints and some nasty phone messages usually stop him in his tracks. But by then, the spammer may be faced with cleanup bills from his ISP, and a bad reputation that it’s not easy to overcome.

The best way to avoid this situation is to have a clear understanding of what spam is: If anyone who receives your mass e-mails did not specifically ask to hear from you, then you are spamming them.

Stick with your gut. Don’t buy a million addresses for $10, no matter how much the seller swears by them! If something sounds fishy, just say no. You’ll save yourself a lot in the end.

The Final Blow.

The online world is turning the tide on spam. In the end, people will stop sending spam because it stops working. Do your part: never buy from a spammer. When your business seeks out technology companies with which to work, only choose those with a staunch anti-spam stance.

Spam has a long history in both the food and e-mail sectors. This year, Hormel Foods opened a real-world museum dedicated to SPAM. While the museum does feature the Monty Python SPAM Skit, there’s no word yet on an unsolicited commercial e-mail exhibit. But, if all upstanding netizens work together, Hormel’s ham in a can will far outlive the Internet plague that is UCE.

If You Do Research On The Web You Really Need An Internet Spam Filter

Spam has got to be one of the most annoying things on the Internet today. I remember when pop-ups first came on the scene, every website I went to was inundated with tons of pop-ups, I hated them, and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. Spam flooded the Internet with so many copies of the same messages, it’s a very shameful attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising of get-rich-quick schemes, or products for younger looking skin. There are basically two types of spam and they affect Internet users differently. Cancelable Usenet spam is a single message sent to many Usenet spam is aimed at people who read newsgroups but rarely or never post and give their address away. Usenet spam robs users of the utility of the newsgroups by overwhelming them with a barrage of advertising or other irrelevant posts. Email spam is another type of spam that targets individual users with direct mail messages. Email spam lists are usually created by scanning Usenet postings and stealing Internet mailing lists, or searching for Web addresses. What ever IT is, it’s not wanted and thank goodness there are plenty of websites were they will allow you to download free spam blockers.

Internet spam filters are a good way to block those pesky spam pop-ups, in fact, without them, there really is no way to get from website to website without Internet spam filters today. Even with spam filters, some pop-up can still get through. However, most Internet spam filters can recognize more than 98% of all incoming spam. There are Plugins that can be installed on your computer that will increase your Internet spam filters to the program. A Spamihilator does just what it says, it annihilates spam and e-mail spam. Most are freeware applications that works in conjunction with other Internet spam filters and some will send you a daily report by e-mail if you want that will tell you how much spam you receive during that day while you were online. This way, you can restore false-positives or add the senders to your friends or block them completely. You can create your own language file by editing an XML file. There are many good Internet spam filters you can trust to download on your computer today. It is a Federal offense for anyone who knowingly, with the intent to carry on any activity which would be a Federal or State crime of fraud or identity theft. Also in one “creates or procures the creation of a website or domain name that represents itself as a legitimate online business, without the authority or approval of the registered owner of the actual website or domain name of the legitimate online business and uses that website or domain name shall be fined under this title or imprisoned up to five years or both.