What does it mean?

[b0b]

I get spam that looks like this:

^% gelatinously ^\ gelatinously ^% chaudfroid ^\ chaudfroid ^% signist ^\ signist ^% dimissaries ^\ dimissaries ^% elkland ^\ elkland ^% beseechingness ^\ beseechingness ^% dahabiahs ^\ dahabiahs ^% phagy ^\ phagy ^% alveolocondylean ^\ alveolocondylean ^% dorpers ^\ dorpers ^% imperf ^\ imperf ^% unsqueezable ^\ unsqueezable ^% deadcentre ^\ deadcentre ^% moralism ^\ moralism ^% heteroptics ^\ heteroptics ^% crooisite ^\ crooisite ^% bogdown ^\ bogdown ^% suboctave ^\ suboctave ^% armillaria ^\ armillaria ^% zambo ^\ zambo ^% amputee ^\ amputee ^% indoctrinations ^\ indoctrinations ^% whinchacker ^\ whinchacker ^% dibbler ^\ dibbler ^% cibarial ^\ cibarial ^% ethelee ^\ ethelee ^% scalemen ^\ scalemen ^% juridic ^\ juridic ^% extracted ^\ extracted ^% preshowing ^\ preshowing ^% yhwh ^\ yhwh ^% soberest ^\ soberest ^% mycotic ^\ mycotic ^% theophanous ^\ theophanous ^% pedicurism ^\ p! edicurism ^% humorers ^\ humorers ^% onamia ^\ onamia ^% pintails ^\ pintails ^% tornados ^\ tornados ^% nakada ^\ nakada ^% audibleness ^\ audibleness ^% worminess ^\ worminess ^% specificalness ^\ specificalness ^% staree ^\ staree ^% miscompose ^\ miscompose ^% antienthusiastically ^\ antienthusiastically ^% prolation ^\ prolation ^% hirudinal ^\ hirudinal ^% tanglewrack ^\ tanglewrack ^% throttlebottom ^\ throttlebottom ^% unignitable ^\ unignitable ^% catholicus ^\ catholicus ^% broadthroat ^\ broadthroat ^% eelpout ^\ eelpout ^% jun ^\ jun ^% logjam ^\ logjam ^% claudy ^\ claudy ^% myrmecologist ^\ myrmecologist ^% threonine ^\ threonine ^% spotteldy ^\ spotteldy ^% tjosite ^\ tjosite ^% plunderers ^\ plunderers ^% bechuanas ^\ bechuanas ^% megaseme ^\ megaseme ^% dibs ^\ dibs ^% jacobsite ^\ jacobsite ^% bananivorous ^\ bananivorous ^% besaint ^\ besaint ^% narrower ^\ narrower ^% cabled ^\ cabled ^% exclaustration ^\ exclaustration ^% transmold ^\ transmold ^% sovereignness ^\ sovereignness ^% consarned ^\ consarned ^% arches ^\ arches ^% wauve ^\ wauve ^% grounds ^\ grounds ^% overplausible ^\ overplausible ^% orna ^\ orna ^% reconsignment ^\ reconsignment ^% upbraider ^\ upbraider ^% ytterite ^\ ytterite ^% dollied ^\ dollied ^% witinfusing ^\ witinfusing ^% kobi ^\ kobi ^% viqueen ^\ viqueen ^% cordleaf ^\ cordleaf ^% heatheriness ^\ heatheriness ^% parrotcoal ^\ parrotcoal ^% misplace ^\ misplace ^% paginated ^\ paginated ^% napoleonistic ^\ napoleonistic ^% fibster ^\ fibster ^% hypnotize ^\ hypnotize ^% ventroaxial ^\ ventroaxial ^% glyc ^\ glyc ^% tonguefree ^\ tonguefree ^% siphonostome ^\ siphonostome ^% infundibuliform ^\ infundibuliform ^% warf ^\ warf ^% forepointer ^\ forepointer ^% wickets ^\ wickets ^% spanaway ^\ spanaway ^% unsting ^\ unsting ^% uvular ^\ uvular ^% gainliest ^\ gainliest ^% sonoma ^\ sonoma ^% ziegler ^\ ziegler ^% redwing ^\ redwing ^% interreflect ^\ interreflect ^% blocking ^\ blocking ^% loveanguished ^\ loveanguished ^% alethiologic ^\ alethiologic ^% debones ^\ debones ^% hemihypotonia ^\ hemihypotonia ^% unannulled ^\ unannulled ^% terminalia ^\ terminalia ^% comfortroot ^\ comfortroot ^% brucins ^\ brucins ^% halfdoor ^\ halfdoor ^% unallayably ^\ unallayably ^% peabody ^\ peabody ^% margherita ^\ margherita ^% mullock ^\ mullock ^% binddays ^\ binddays ^% pecky ^\ pecky ^% sternites ^\ sternites ^% downtreading ^\ downtreading ^% anarcestean ^\ anarcestean ^% welllabeled ^\ welllabeled ^% cruelhearted ^\ cruelhearted ^% blastocarpous ^\ blastocarpous ^% outbacker ^\ outbacker ^% tortoni ^\ tortoni ^% cofermentation ^\ cofermentation ^% wahkon ^\ wahkon ^% gripe ^\ gripe ^% piline ^\ piline ^% unchristianly ^\ unchristianly ^% rollout ^\ rollout ^% labbella ^\ labbella ^% incriminates ^\ incriminates ^% personableness ^\ personableness ^% albuminose ^\ albuminose ^% tabb ^\ tabb ^% exobasidiales ^\ exobasidiales ^% redistrict ^\ redistrict ^% dialogical ^\ dialogical ^% headway ^\ headway ^% tigerling ^\ tigerling ^% denary ^\ denary ^% ayudante ^\ ayudante ^% sarc ^\ sarc ^% alderflies ^\ alderflies ^% pronegro ^\ pronegro ^% salago ^\ salago ^% heatkilled ^\ heatkilled ^% adoptionism ^\ adoptionism ^% boarderup ^\ boarderup ^% tapesium ^\ tapesium ^% uncongealable ^\ uncongealable ^% batcher ^\ batcher ^% hueston ^\ hueston ^% refires ^\ refires ^% acrotreta ^\ acrotreta ^% rhyolite ^\ rhyolite

It goes on and on. What is the meaning of this?

[Wiz Feinberg]

This is an example of "Salad Spam." Spammers inject garbage words, often separated by slashes, to confuse spam filters. These words are usually contained inside a hidden html element, so the reader doesn't see them. At the beginning or end of the salad words there is a spam message and link to a typically Russian website.

[b0b]

My spam filter catches them every time, though.

[Jim Cohen]

My spam filter catches them every time, though.

... or at least you THINK so...

[Jeff Garden]

fun words.
theophanous? maybe this is where Joe Wright gets his material.
today's assignment: use "amputee pedicurism" in a sentence...

[Fred Justice]

b0b I think their trying to contact you from another planet.

[b0b]

Here's a small part of another one:

unintellectiveselfshining selfshiningunrotatory unrotatorystornelli stornelli>toodleloodle toodleloodlekatleen katleenstornelli stornellituneup tuneuplapidification lapidificationaponeurositis aponeurositisdbas dbasluteciums luteciumsfrantic franticcymars cymarsblatancy blatancykas kascollectivity collectivitybellyflopping bellyfloppingreft reftlovelacking lovelackingibad ibaddei deiselfshining selfshiningkheth khethghiselin ghiselintattooed tattooedlargecelled largecelledstraitsleeved straitsleevedjivaran jivaranheinie heinieflotow flotowresale resaletunbelly tunbellygoosestepper goosestepperrestudy restudycyesiology cyesiologypaperhanging paperhangingsanguinecomplexioned sanguinecomplexionedmy! ometritis myometritisdevilkin devilkinbeyerite beyeritedecoagulation decoagulationcolombes colombesdoghouse doghousedividualism dividualismorthodoxly orthodoxlyafterlight afterlightmononychous mononychousstubachite stubachitelibational libationaldaverdy daverdybinationalism binationalismhornshaped hornshapedmaskers maskers pericardian pericardiansepsid sepsidfreetrade freetrademeriquinone meriquinoneuntack untackvoglite voglitecavanagh cavanaghsphygmophonic sphygmophonicolearia oleariaseamript seamriptarrowsmith arrowsmithorithyia orithyiaguileless guilelessintersexuality intersexualityskopje skopjecoors coorsmysticly mysticlydestigmatize destigmatizedillsboro dillsboroiodopsin

Some pretty weird words in there!

[Wiz Feinberg]

This trick worked for about one month, after first being introduced. The people who write spam filters (including me) know how to filter out octopus ink and see the actual spam message. Also, that many words without normal formatting, or the ones separated by slashes, are easy to match with regular expressions.

[Wiz Feinberg]

Who would think that a blank reply to field could be used as a spam filter? I do. It is not standard procedure and mostly occurs when spam templates are used with spoofed headers.

Return-path: <>

Simple spam filter for an on-going pump and dump scam, out of Belarus.

[Dave Potter]

Wiz -

Periodically, I get spam from Russia I've still not figured out.

It takes the form of spoofed emails "I" sent to someone in some Russian domain I've never heard of, and I get a "bounce" back to my inbox with an error that says "I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered...etc etc" or "The following message had permanent fatal errors....etc etc", things like that.

These things show my email address as the sender, but I'm not sending them. I'll get 20-30 or more a day sometimes, and it's hard for me to write a filter for them because they never have anything in common except they're "from me".

What are these people accomplishing by this silliness?

[Wiz Feinberg]

Wiz -

Periodically, I get spam from Russia I've still not figured out.

It takes the form of spoofed emails "I" sent to someone in some Russian domain I've never heard of, and I get a "bounce" back to my inbox with an error that says "I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered...etc etc" or "The following message had permanent fatal errors....etc etc", things like that.

These things show my email address as the sender, but I'm not sending them. I'll get 20-30 or more a day sometimes, and it's hard for me to write a filter for them because they never have anything in common except they're "from me".

What are these people accomplishing by this silliness?

Dave;
It is possible that those really are bounces and they are the result of a Joe Job on your email accounts.

Everybody who sends email, or displays their email address on a web page, or lists an email address with an online company, will someday have it harvested by spambots. This is just a fact of life these days.

Harvested email addresses are used in spam templates to send spam to you and to spoof you as the sender of other, or even the same messages. I often get spam from me - to me! It is a Joe Job, used to try to fool spam filters.

So, it could be that your email address and personal name are being used in a spam run in Russia and you are getting the refusal reports. All bounces, service unavailable, and message refusals go to either the From, or Reply To account.

[Ben Elder]

I think they're excerpts from the ZB Maintenance Manual.

[Dave Potter]

Everybody who sends email, or displays their email address on a web page, or lists an email address with an online company, will someday have it harvested by spambots. This is just a fact of life these days.

Yes, I've done all those things over the years, before I understood the risks. I avoid it mostly anymore, by using email aliases that I can simply cancel at will if one begins to generate spam. But I know my primary email address is all over the world and has been bought and sold many times.

Thanks, Wiz

[Richard Sinkler]

It takes the form of spoofed emails "I" sent to someone in some Russian domain I've never heard of, and I get a "bounce" back to my inbox with an error that says "I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not be delivered...etc etc" or "The following message had permanent fatal errors....etc etc", things like that.

These things show my email address as the sender, but I'm not sending them. I'll get 20-30 or more a day sometimes, and it's hard for me to write a filter for them because they never have anything in common except they're "from me".

This happened to me a year or two ago. I was getting many bounced back emails every day. I finally stopped counting somewhere around 800 over a period of maybe 3 weeks when they seemed to stop. They ALL were addressed to hotmail accounts that I didn't know who they were and definitely didn't send them. Except for maybe 1 or 2, they all bounced back into my spam folder (that's how I was able to keep count). I switched to another email service after that.