Spam Explained

Any reputable email marketing company will disavow any possible use of the tactic but open your inbox and you'll find a different story

. Spam - the generic and unappealing bulk marketing messages delivered without solicitation to users around the world - is so prevalent its become part and parcel of the internet.

Whilst unsolicited marketing messages can be found in almost all channels where direct contact is possible, it was the internet that made it so prevalent that it earned its own specific nickname. A nickname that so succinctly defined the ongoing nuisance of an inbox filled with unsavoury and doubtful messages that it has actually become, more or less, official terminology.

Its possible that at one point, spam marketing campaigns could actually offer some sort of benefit to real brands and businesses. Now though this tactic is solely the tool of the disreputable. Real businesses - that offer real service and products to consumers without any dubious ulterior motives - have entirely moved over to the permission based form of email marketing (where people consent to receive mail). This method helps avoid the massive negative stigma of filling up someones inbox with unwanted messages and it also helps get around the various automatic filters in place on most people's PC's or ISP servers.

Still, spam persists. Check the 'junk mail' folder in your inbox (the most obvious but by no means the only spam filter at work in your email) and you'll probably see some of it. Now though for the most part, spam solely exists as a means of preying upon the credulous, the naive and those unfamiliar with the basic tenets of computer security.

Broadly speaking, there are two forms of spam message. Although the two are often combined into a double-whammy of unwanted aggravation, they are two different types of security breach.

The first is malware spam - where the messages contain malicious computer code such as a virus or computer worm that will infiltrate your PC if you download the message or even if you simply open the email in an unsecured browser. Once its on there, if you don't have an up to date copy of some security software, your computer will be infiltrated without you knowing. If you're lucky it will just crash the PC and scramble your data. Worse though is the possibility it will simply 'ghost' your system - operate in the background without you knowing it exists. This can either make your computer part of a 'botnet', where your processing and bandwidth power is used for hacking attacks on other computer networks without you knowing, or it can simply email your credit card details off to a third party whenever you fill in a form online.

This last use is where the malware spam crosses over with the other form of spam - the phishing scam. One of the most popularly known derivatives of this type of electronic con is the "Nigerian Prince" message. There are other types but all of them boil down to the same system; the user opens an email. The email says that they have won/been selected to receive a large sum of money; the 'Nigerian prince', for example, says that he needs your help to free up finances held in his country's banking system. The money is yours free of charge - they just need your bank account details, or to receive a small payment from your credit card.

Once they've got your details, it should go without saying that you don't actually receive the money. Instead, they take yours.

by: Liam Mossman

POST COMMENT

Bayesian spam filter enables you to save on a whole lot of time Exchange Server and The Anti-Spam Battle Steer Clear of Phishing And Spamming Notes on Spam And Spyware Spam Filters Are Important If You Do Research On The Net The Custom Like Button A Spammers Prayers Answered? Eliminate All Kinds Of Spam For Good How To Protect Your Inbox From SPAM How To Avoid The Spam Trap Results - That Spam-I-Am I Do Not Like That Spam-I-Am How To - Importance Of Using A Spam Blocker Spam En Redes Sociales Discover - Importance Of Using A Spam Blocker