spam

Microsoft has revamped Hotmail once again, this time providing more storage and a slew of new features. Free accounts will now have a 5 GB storage limit, a large increase from the previous 2 GB limit. Paid subscribers will see their storage limits ... upped from 4 GB to 10 GB. (Source: betanews.com ) The added storage puts Hotmail ahead of Google, which offers 2.8 GB of storage, but still behind Yahoo's unlimited storage. (Source: windowsitpro.com ) Additional features include vacation replies and the ability to disable the 'Today' screen. Further, Microsoft responded to consumer comments and ... (view more)

Microsoft is suing three perpetrators suspicious of using hotmail networks to endorse stocks. "Pump-and-dump email scams are a form of fraud where the criminals purchase stock in a company -- typically an inexpensive penny stock -- and then promote ... the equity in millions of unsolicited email messages." (Source: wininsider.com ) This quick and easy form of spamming is one of the more profitable styles at the present time. Those responsible for sending pump-and-dump emails gain monetary rewards, whereas Microsoft, on the other hand, is burdened with considerable costs. Research focusing on the ... (view more)

As I was working with my email today, I realized that I was not alone in trying to combat the scourge of Spam! Many are working to reduce the space and time it takes to transfer the stuff, in many cases at very real expense since there are a number ... of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that charge the user for the amount of data transferred. Some companies, such as AOL and Yahoo, have come up with preventative strategies that don't really work all that well (charging bulk emailers for Preferred Status) and tend to cause difficulties for everybody. When it comes to the user reporting spam in ... (view more)

In a bid to win back the hearts of tech junkies dismayed by European antitrust fines and deceptive anti-piracy programs ( Windows Genuine Advantage ), Microsoft is defending the average surfer by waging a new war against "spam". As spam -- the ... advertising granddaddy of Spyware most typically found in emails -- spreads to bulletin boards, Microsoft is integrating a program that roots out such false and annoying offers. As mentioned, spam has traditionally been associated with email. Culturally linked to the Monty Python viking sketch, "spam" was first used to describe annoying online messages ... (view more)

A firewall is a barrier to keep destructive forces away from your computer. In fact, that's why it's called a firewall. Its job is similar to a physical firewall that keeps a fire from spreading from one area to the next. Firewalls use one or more ... of three methods to control traffic flowing in and out of the network: Packet filtering: Packets (small chunks of data) are analyzed against a set of filters. Packets that make it through the filters are sent to the requesting system and all others are discarded. Proxy service: Information from the Internet is retrieved through the firewall and then ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Jennifer' writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently received an email from an unknown person via Yahoo. I think I understand how the email got to me but I'm not sure. Would the email headers help to tell me this? I'd really like to know ... how this person sent me the email. Can you help? " My response: To sum it up the answer briefly: email headers are often forged by spammers, so it's plausible that the email you received came from somewhere else (other than what is stated in the email header). Having said that, most big-name ISP (Internet Service Providers) have an onslaught of ... (view more)

Spam Screener State-of-the-art challenge - response spam blocker. Set it up and enjoy no spam in just one minute! Challenge - Response (or permission-based) spam blocking is a technology that requires email senders to get your approval before they ... can email you, similar to how someone knocks on your front door before entering your home. To be more convenient, SpamScreener Free Edition will automatically synchronize with your address book so that your existing correspondents are already approved to send you mail (Outlook/Outlook Express/Eudora). And SpamScreener Free Edition will protect you ... (view more)

If you haven't already heard the buzz, AOL and Yahoo have teamed up with Goodmail Systems, and will soon be charging a "voluntary" per-email fee to bulk-mailers in order to guarantee the delivery of emails to recipients. A story at internetNews.com ... summed it up nicely (posted February 9th, 2006): " ... Companies that have buttered their bread by sending free e-mail via AOL and Yahoo will soon have the option to pay to ensure their messages arrive at their target destinations. AOL in the coming months will begin charging a fraction of a penny or more per message in what they ... (view more)

Die-hard Infopackets Reader Paul B. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have been a faithful subscriber to your newsletter for a few years now. While I immensely enjoy reading your articles (especially the software reviews), I am constantly second-guessing ... myself as to which utilities *I* need to keep my system running smoothly. As a newbie, I would like to know how many of these 'fix all programs' are really necessary? For example, which utilities do I need for: speeding up, uninstalling, defragging, anti-Spyware, anti-spam, firewall, anti-virus, registry cleaning / fixing... etc. I mostly use my ... (view more)

Is spam on the rise or have spammers found a new way to become extra-annoying? Infopackets Reader Max E. writes: " Thanks again for the great web site and excellent help! My problem today is with Spam (unsolicited bulk email). How can I send ... something back to the spammers? Every time I log on I get some 50 to 90 spams and it wastes my time having to deal with these annoying messages. I have tried to send the spammers an email asking them to remove me from the list, but my messages always come back undeliverable. Please help! " My response: This is the fourth complaint this week I've ... (view more)