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Spam is widespread and has been the subject of legislation in numerous jurisdictions, nevertheless it is possible that some newcomers, maybe you, have not yet been confronted against this plague. Simply, spamming is the act of sending unsolicited bulk and/or commercial messages, principally – but not exclusively – by email, to a massive list of users around the globe. Subject can be various, but the goal remains the same: make you buy a product or do something – download a file, visit a website, etc.
And you know what? Spammers are as annoying as filthy rich.
A worldwide problem.
Spam is a worldwide problem that, unfortunately, is far from being stopped; worse: spam has become a major issue, affecting the business and personal productivity of citizens. It can also serve to spread computer viruses, trojans and other malicious software.
Why spam exists?
Spammers have no reason to cease their activities: spamming is easy and cheap, yet the rewards are high! Spam will only be killed if it becomes unprofitable, which is not for today; even with low response rates, this practice stays lucrative. Hard to imagine, but a bunch of people actually read these annoying emails and buy the proposed stuff. Always remember this: spam exists to sell, not to inform.
How spammers can collect so much email addresses?
Spammers gather them from blogs, websites, newsgroups and other public places; they can do this manually or with the help of a bot crawling the Internet. Brute force attacks, which try all kinds of combinations of letters to form an email address, is also a possibility. Several spammers prefer to buy email addresses from a congener or a webmaster looking for quick money.
If you receive spam in your email box, do not reply or click on the unsubscribe link: by doing this, you will confirm that your email address is real and you will start being flooded much more!
Why spammers are not arrested?
Reasons are numerous; however, remember that spammers often use stolen resources, such as zombie computers (see my article on zombie networks), or get protected by corrupt Internet service providers (ISPs) in some foreign countries. That, and many other tricks to obfuscate their traces, makes it a challenge to catch them.
For now, how can I protect myself from spam?
Create two email addresses: a main and a 'junk' one; be careful not to leave the main address everywhere; never reply to spam or click on any proposed links, even the unsubscribe one; if it already too late, search for a good anti-spam that will try to separate the good from the bad by filtering your email messages.
