DNX

Aug 28, 2008

Spam Vulnerability Test:

We detest Spam, (the E-mail kind anyway). Spam costs everybody money!

Below are some tips to help reduce the spam sent to your address. Add up your score below to find where the problem is coming from. (An accumulated score of 5 or more indicates a high level of exposure you've placed on your E-mail address.)

Your UCE settings may be set too light. If your setting is other than "Heavy", then you'll get spam. How to change some basic spam settings yourself (Spam vulnerability rating: 3 if it's "Light", 5 if it's "None".)

Use Anti-virus software and keep the subscription up to date! Do NOT let it lapse for even a couple of days! This will insure you're not going to be used by a spammer to send mail through a virus! Viruses, snag your E-mail address and spread it around. (Spam vulnerability rating: 4 if you don't have an active anti-virus program running and current.)

Is your machine safe against Spyware? If you don't know what that is, then it's probably rampant in your machine! (Spam vulnerability rating: 5 if you don't have anti-spyware software running and current.)

If you have a web page, do not list your E-mail addresses therein, or allow people to E-mail you directly from a web page! (i.e. using the mailto: tag.) Spammers reap E-mail addresses off your web site and then clobber you with them! Use an intelligent web page form to hide your E-mail address. (Spam vulnerability rating: 4 per website/domain.)

Reduce the number of aliases you may have for your maildrop. (Spam vulnerability rating: 1 per address.)

Mailboxes like: "info@yourplace.com", or "sales@...", or "help@..." are just begging for Spam. (Spam vulnerability rating: 6 per address.)

Do you use your first name as your virtual address? (i.e. jack @...) (Spam vulnerability rating: 2.)

Do you have a domain? (i.e. "yourplace.com") What E-mail addresses are available for all to see, (and Spam), at the registrar? (i.e. Like: Network Solutions...) (Spam vulnerability rating: 5 per domain that uses your E-mail address.)

Always be mindful to check, (or uncheck as the case may be), on web forms, (i.e. when ordering something), to NOT be sent unnecessary E-mail. Also, many forms recheck this option if there's something wrong on the form, or on subsequent web pages. Assume they want your E-mail address and for you to give permission to use it! (Spam vulnerability rating: 1)

Never, (NEVER!), reply to a Spam E-mail, in any way, shape or form! Doing so clearly indicates a human is able to get E-mail at your address. Your E-mail address now becomes more valuable when it's sold to another spammer! (Spam vulnerability rating: 8 per instance.)

Don't go to "risky" web sites. (Why do you need to go there anyway?) However, if you're that strongly compelled, use a browser which has no knowledge of your E-mail address, and keep your Anti-virus subscription up to date! (Spam vulnerability rating: 7)

Your address is NEVER taken off a spammer's list. :-( The older your account, the more mistakes have been accumulated, and the more your innocent trust has been misplaced. Prior to ~year 2000, we trusted certain web pages and entities with our address, only to be later compromised. Not too particularly scientific, but a trend nonetheless. (Spam vulnerability rating: 0.5 for every year you've used this E-mail address. Add an additional 3 if your E-mail account was created prior to 2000.

How did you score!? A number greater than 5 means you've got an exposure problem. Unfortunately, most people score quite poorly. If you're getting unreasonable amounts of spam, and your score was less than 5, you probably have missed something.

Unfortunately, some spam is simply un-avoidable. :-( The sad truth is: Some people, (of obvious diminished mental capacity), actually buy products they learn about through UCE, therefore it's profitable for Spammers to market in this way. In any event, we'll continue to be diligent in our efforts to reject such E-mail.

Please Do not forward Spam E-mails to us, unless we specifically ask you to. We probably have directly received and processed the very same E-mail already. Plus E-mails have to be sent to us in a special manner to be of any use.