C.I.T.S. Knowledgebase - Information about SPAM

 

Information for Staff & Students

Are you tired of unsolicited junk mail; get rich quick schemes, winning the $100M lottery, i.e. SPAM? You name it and, if you've ever received email, you've received some samples of it.

 

The SPAM firewall went online in 2005. It will find and delete most spam for you. C.I.T.S. prevents spammers from harvesting email addresses in whatever way we can; however, new methods are being invented on a daily basis that attempt to trap the unsuspecting user.

 

How do spammers get my e-mail address?

If you have ever registered with a Web site, completed a Web form or, posted a message on a Web site, then your email address is in the public where spammers can harvest it. Also, if you have an easy-to-remember e-mail address (such as john@email.com), then you could receive spam as a result of a 'dictionary attack'-e-mails sent to every conceivable name or word at your domain. There are computer programs that do this automatically.

 

What you can do to fight or control SPAM?

Use the C.I.T.S. Server Side Email Filters to help manage your mail. You can filter the unwanted mail to a Junk folder and it will delete itself after a set period.

Opt out - When you register at any Web site, look for a little check box near the end of the user agreement. Many websites require that you receive e-mail from them, and the nice ones give you the choice to opt out of receiving e-mail from their 'partners.' If the opt-in box is preselected, you've just opted in to additional unsolicited e-mail. I have noticed that when some web sites are 'sold', the new owners do not necessarily honor the opt out clauses. They are purchasing the customer base and intend to market those customers.

 

Should you use the Remove me from this junk mail option?

Often spam offers you the opportunity to be removed from their mailing lists. This sounds attractive-just let them know you want to be removed and no more spam! Some people, however, believe that this is just a ploy by spammers to ensure that they are sending to active e-mail addresses-after all, if you respond then your e-mail address is valid. If you do request removal, and find you still receive e-mails from that organization you may then want to add the 'sender' of those emails to your block senders list.

 

Set up two e-mail accounts.

A regular e-mail account, (sta.uwi.edu) and one of the free e-mail services, (gmail, yahoo etc.) and only use it in situations where your e-mail address may be posted publicly - newsgroups or registering on a Web site. This can reduce the amount of SPAM sent to your main email address, but the drawback is that you now have 2 email addresses and mailboxes to manage.

 

Spam Reporting, Virus, Hoax and Anti-Scam Resources:

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov

McAfee Anti-Virus site: http://www.mcafee.com

McAfee 'Hoaxes' site: http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp

Norton Anti-Virus site: http://www.symantec.com

Spam Cop: Report your unwanted SPAM through http://www.spamcop.net

'Truth about computer security hysteria': http://www.Vmyths.com

 

 

Contact Campus I.T. Services

Campus I.T. services can be contacted via the I.T. Helpdesk:

Helpdesk Email: helpdesk@sta.uwi.edu
Dell PC Orders Email: pcorders@sta.uwi.edu
Webmaster: webmaster@sta.uwi.edu

Telephone: 1-(868)-662-2002 ext. HELP (4357)