Just lately I've started to receive some spam, all similar topics but never from the same address. Blocking the sender is useless.
Also, once a week or so, I receive an empty e-mail with no subject, no sender ID and no content. I have a feeling I'm getting "pinged" for spam addresses. Since it's cloaked, I can't block the sender.
Any suggestions ?
I am running windows XP, using Outlook Express on a sympatico account.
-John
Getting pinged for spam
Moderator: Wiz Feinberg
-
John Steele (deceased)
- Posts: 3188
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
-
Wiz Feinberg
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: 8 Jan 1999 1:01 am
- Location: Mid-Michigan, USA
What follows is quite technical and geeky, but is a valid solution that I use to remove spam before it gets into Outlook Express, and I have 23 email accounts to deal with. If you are comfortable with using complex software this will be of interest to you.
I use a commercial program called MailWasher Pro to screen all incoming email before downloading it to Outlook Express. Mailwasher displays email in plain text, with clickable links, but it does not display images, or render HTML content, or execute potentially harmful scripts. By clicking on a button you can read the entire actual source code and headers, which is how I detect spam or scams. There is even a checkbox for reporting spam to your SpamCop account, if you have one.
The program uses a combination of blacklists (of senders you block), "blocklists" (like SpamCop, Spamhaus, SORBS and other world-wide lists of known spam sources and open relays), a user database of reported known spam (FirstAlert), a "Bayesian" learning filter that you teach to recognize what you call spam, and powerful user configurable rules to delete unwanted email, whether spam, scams, exploits, or viruses.
I personally set Mailwasher Pro to check all of my 23 email accounts simultaneously, every 10 minutes. My custom filter rules automatically identify and delete almost all incoming spam. I have other rules for "possible spam," which is pre-marked for manual deletion and blacklisting, if it is indeed spam. False positives can be added to your Friends List and there is a even recycle bin to restore emails, in case your rules delete a legitimate message.
I should point out that the program runs in parallel to Outlook, or Outlook Express, or Thunderbird. The way I use it is to have MailWasher check for incoming email every 10 minutes and delete the junk automatically or manually as it comes in. I have turned off automatic email checking in Outlook Express and only download email I want, manually, after it has been screened by Mailwasher.
Mailwasher allows you to create special spam filtering rules based on either plain text strings, or on what are known as Regular Expressions, which are very powerful tests for matching partial or misspelled words, or email coming from certain parts of the world, or image spam, or base64 encoded messages, or blank message bodies, subjects or recipients, or viruses or exploits embedded in the source code. This goes way beyond any rules you can create in Outlook Express.
If you are technically inclined MailWasher Pro might be what you are looking for. I have a lot of info about it on my MailWasher page linked to above. I have published some of my own custom, universal spam filters on my website, that linked to on the mailwasher page. These filters have been developed over several years and can be copied and pasted into your "filters.txt" file and will give you several years head start on detecting and deleting spam before you even see it.
You can email me if you need more details or assistance with using Mailwasher as a spam filter.
------------------
Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
<small>Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage. Get Firefox Here.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices. My FAQs.</small>
I use a commercial program called MailWasher Pro to screen all incoming email before downloading it to Outlook Express. Mailwasher displays email in plain text, with clickable links, but it does not display images, or render HTML content, or execute potentially harmful scripts. By clicking on a button you can read the entire actual source code and headers, which is how I detect spam or scams. There is even a checkbox for reporting spam to your SpamCop account, if you have one.
The program uses a combination of blacklists (of senders you block), "blocklists" (like SpamCop, Spamhaus, SORBS and other world-wide lists of known spam sources and open relays), a user database of reported known spam (FirstAlert), a "Bayesian" learning filter that you teach to recognize what you call spam, and powerful user configurable rules to delete unwanted email, whether spam, scams, exploits, or viruses.
I personally set Mailwasher Pro to check all of my 23 email accounts simultaneously, every 10 minutes. My custom filter rules automatically identify and delete almost all incoming spam. I have other rules for "possible spam," which is pre-marked for manual deletion and blacklisting, if it is indeed spam. False positives can be added to your Friends List and there is a even recycle bin to restore emails, in case your rules delete a legitimate message.
I should point out that the program runs in parallel to Outlook, or Outlook Express, or Thunderbird. The way I use it is to have MailWasher check for incoming email every 10 minutes and delete the junk automatically or manually as it comes in. I have turned off automatic email checking in Outlook Express and only download email I want, manually, after it has been screened by Mailwasher.
Mailwasher allows you to create special spam filtering rules based on either plain text strings, or on what are known as Regular Expressions, which are very powerful tests for matching partial or misspelled words, or email coming from certain parts of the world, or image spam, or base64 encoded messages, or blank message bodies, subjects or recipients, or viruses or exploits embedded in the source code. This goes way beyond any rules you can create in Outlook Express.
If you are technically inclined MailWasher Pro might be what you are looking for. I have a lot of info about it on my MailWasher page linked to above. I have published some of my own custom, universal spam filters on my website, that linked to on the mailwasher page. These filters have been developed over several years and can be copied and pasted into your "filters.txt" file and will give you several years head start on detecting and deleting spam before you even see it.
You can email me if you need more details or assistance with using Mailwasher as a spam filter.
------------------
Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
<small>Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage. Get Firefox Here.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices. My FAQs.</small>
-
John Steele (deceased)
- Posts: 3188
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
-
Wiz Feinberg
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: 8 Jan 1999 1:01 am
- Location: Mid-Michigan, USA