Spam, Spam filters, and how to choose the correct one for you

One of the biggest spam email scams in history was the Nigerian letter scam, also known as the “419 scam,” named after the section of the Nigerian criminal code that deals with fraud. This scam involves the perpetrator sending a letter or email to a victim, claiming to be a high-ranking official or wealthy businessperson who needs assistance in transferring a large sum of money out of the country. The victim is then asked to provide their bank account information or to make an upfront payment to cover fees or taxes, with the promise of a large reward in return. This scam has been around for many decades and has affected millions of people worldwide.

Some statistics:
In 2019, it was reported that the average person received 16.6 spam emails per day, which equates to over 6,000 per year.

In 2020 Kaspersky solutions detected a total of 184,435,643 malicious attachments.

According to data from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), there were an average of over 2.3 million unique phishing attacks per month in the first half of 2021. This equates to roughly 77,000 unique phishing attacks per day. However, this number is likely to be significantly higher when you consider that many phishing attacks go unreported or undetected. In December 2021, more than 45% of total emails were considered spam.

In 2022, over 330 billion e-mails were sent every day.

Spam protection is an important issue for individuals and organizations that use email and other online communication platforms. Spam is unwanted or unsolicited electronic messages that are often sent in large quantities and can include things like phishing scams, malware, and other types of fraudulent or malicious content.

There are a variety of ways to safeguard against spam. Using a spam filter, which is a piece of software made specifically for identifying and blocking spam communications, is one of the most efficient methods. In order to determine whether an email is a spam, spam filters examine its content and compare it to a list of recognized spam characteristics. The email is classified as spam and transferred to a different folder or destroyed if it satisfies a sufficient number of these criteria.

There are also many spam filters available that can help you protect your inbox from unwanted and unsolicited emails. Here are a few popular options:

Google Gmail: Spam emails are effectively identified and blocked by Gmail’s built-in spam filtering. You can also ban particular senders and mark emails as spam.

Microsoft Outlook: Outlook has a powerful spam filter that can be customized to meet your specific needs. You can ban particular senders and set rules to manage incoming emails with this tool.

Spam Assassin: This is an open-source spam filter that can be installed on your email server. It uses a set of rules to identify spam emails and can be configured to meet your specific needs.

Mailwasher: This is a standalone spam filter that can be installed on your computer. It allows you to preview and delete spam emails before they reach your inbox. Additionally, it has a “bounce back” feature that may be used to pretend to be an error message and send it to the sender in an effort to stop them from sending spam in the future.

SpamBully: This spam filter uses artificial intelligence to learn from your email behavior and tailor its spam blocking to your needs. It also includes features such as blacklisting and whitelisting to allow you to fine-tune the types of emails that are blocked or allowed.

The finest spam filter software will ultimately depend on your individual requirements and preference. To choose which application suits you the best, it could be useful to test out a few alternative options.
It’s important to remember that no spam filter is 100% effective and that occasionally good emails may be incorrectly classified as spam. Checking your spam folder on a regular basis will help to ensure that no vital emails are being missed.

When choosing a spam filter program, there are several factors that you should consider:

Accuracy: The most important factor to consider is the program’s ability to accurately identify and block spam emails. Look for a program with a high rate of success in identifying and blocking spam emails.

Ease of use: Choose a program that is easy to set up and use. You don’t want to spend a lot of time configuring and managing your spam filter.

Customization: Find a program that lets you alter the spam filtering to suit your unique requirements. Creating personalized rules or designating certain words or phrases to be blocked are two examples of this.

Integration: If you use multiple email accounts or email clients, choose a program that is compatible with all of them.

Price: Consider the cost of the program and whether it is within your budget. Keep in mind that free spam filter programs may not offer the same level of protection as paid ones.

Customer support: Choose a program that offers good customer support in case you have any questions or issues.

Some tips for spam configuration

To configure a spam filter, you will need to follow these steps:

1. Identify the spam filter you want to use. This could be a spam filter that is already included with your email service provider or one that you install on your computer or other devices.
2. Create a list of keywords or phrases that are commonly used in spam messages. This will help the spam filter identify and block spam messages.
3. Make a list of the words or phrases that appear frequently in spam. This will make it easier for the spam filter to find and stop spam messages.
4. Train the spam filter by marking messages as spam or not spam. This will help the filter learn what messages are and are not spam.
5. Regularly review the spam folder to make sure that the spam filter is correctly identifying spam messages. You can mark a message as “not spam” if you discover it in the spam folder and want to aid the filter’s learning.
6. If necessary, alter the filter’s settings. Some filters allow you to adjust the sensitivity of the filter, so you can fine-tune it to better meet your needs.

Another method of spam protection is to use email authentication protocols, such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). These protocols allow the recipient of an email to verify that it was actually sent by the domain it claims to be sent from, helping to prevent impersonation attacks.

Being cautious when disclosing personal information online, especially on social media and other public platforms, is another approach to safeguard against spam. Your home address, phone number, and email address are all examples of this. These details can be used by spammers to send you unsolicited messages or even to target you for phishing attacks.

Finally, it’s critical to be aware of the most typical forms of spam and to keep an eye out for warning signs. For instance, spam emails frequently solicit personal information, link to unknown websites, or use urgent or sensational language. It’s usually recommended to delete any questionable emails without clicking any links or providing any personal information if you receive one.

In conclusion, keeping the security and privacy of your online communication requires spam prevention. You may defend yourself and your business from spam and other unwelcome electronic messages by utilizing spam filters, email authentication mechanisms, and common sense.