Sendmail has taken a first stab at software to authenticate the source of e-mail messages, a technology that will be key to preventing the proliferation of spam. The company released a module for its Sendmail e-mail server software that attempts to verify the source of messages to help Internet users block mail from unwanted senders. . . .. Sendmail has taken a first stab at software to authenticate the source of e-mail messages, a technology that will be key to preventing the proliferation of spam. The company released a module for its Sendmail e-mail server software that attempts to verify the source of messages to help Internet users block mail from unwanted senders. The technique is part of a developing Internet standard known as Sender ID. "What authenticating does is allow you to rely on who sent the message," said David Anderson, CEO of Sendmail, a maker of e-mail software. "We believe people will stop filtering out bad messages based on bad content and instead allow good messages with good senders." The majority of e-mail carried across the Internet uses the open-source Sendmail program, which runs on the Linux and Unix operating systems. The new module for the program allows e-mail administrators to modify their systems and add the authentication technology. The e-mail server will then forward messages with the necessary Sender ID information and authenticate incoming e-mail messages using the system. . Sendmail has taken a first stab at software to authenticate the source of e-mail messages, a technol. sendmail, taken, first, software, authenticate, source, e-mail, messages, technol. . Anthony Pell
AOL, Earthlink, and Google have all previously signed on with SPF, and Microsoft's support means that adoption should move forward. The question now is what effect the SPF + Microsoft protocol will have on Yahoo's DomainKeys technology, which works differently. DomainKeys has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force to be ratified as an open standard, and will be supported by Sendmail (which will also support SPF). At least all of the parties are saying all the right things: . . . . AOL, Earthlink, and Google have all previously signed on with SPF, and Microsoft's support means that adoption should move forward. The question now is what effect the SPF + Microsoft protocol will have on Yahoo's DomainKeys technology, which works differently. DomainKeys has been submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force to be ratified as an open standard, and will be supported by Sendmail (which will also support SPF). At least all of the parties are saying all the right things: Wong said he was working with Yahoo to figure out how to make SPF and DomainKeys cooperate with and complement each other. "DomainKeys is the long-term approach; SPF is the short-term approach," Wong said. "If all goes well, we will meet in the middle and squash spammers like a bug." Here's hoping for a fruitful meeting followed by a lot of squashing. The article located at arsTechnica is no longer available. . AOL, Earthlink, and Google have all previously signed on with SPF, and Microsoft's support means tha. earthlink, google, previously, signed, microsoft's, support, means. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Comcast's high-speed Internet subscribers have long been rumored to be an unusually persistent source of junk e-mail. Now someone from Comcast is confirming it. "We're the biggest spammer on the Internet," network engineer Sean Lutner said at a meeting of an antispam working group in Washington, D.C., last week. . . .. Comcast's high-speed Internet subscribers have long been rumored to be an unusually persistent source of junk e-mail. Now someone from Comcast is confirming it. "We're the biggest spammer on the Internet," network engineer Sean Lutner said at a meeting of an antispam working group in Washington, D.C., last week. Lutner said Comcast users send out about 800 million messages a day, but a mere 100 million flow through the company's official servers. Almost all of the remaining 700 million represent spam erupting from so-called zombie computers--a breathtaking figure that adds up to six or seven spam-o-grams for each American family every day. Zombie computers arise when spammers seize on bugs in Microsoft Windows--or from naive users who click on attachments--to take over PCs and transform them into spambots. No hard numbers exist, but some estimates say that about one-third of spam comes from zombie computers with broadband connections. The owners of the zombie PCs typically don't even notice what's happening. Because home computers are more likely to be infected than business PCs, and because Comcast has about 6 million high-speed customers, it may have been inevitable that the cable provider became a haven for remote-controlled zombies that churn out junk e-mail. Don't take Comcast's word for it. IronPort Systems' statistics for comcast.net show that while the company's six official mail servers have a monthly outgoing e-mail index of 6.2, there are at least 44 Comcast subscribers with similar scores of 5.8 or higher. Overall, Comcast is the single biggest source of all types of e-mail, with a higher volume than the next two, Time Warner's Road Runner and Yahoo, combined. The link forthis article located at zdnet.com is no longer available. . Verizon's users identified as leading culprits for unsolicited messages, with spam originating from compromised devices.. Comcast Spam Network,Zombie Computer Spam,Email Abuse. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
"Daphnia blue-crested fish cattle, darkorange fountain moss, beaverwood educating, eyeblinking advancing, dulltuned amazons...." This is not a failed attempt at free-form prose. It's a snippet of a spam message intended to promote a sexual stimulant, a deliberate crack at sneaking past and spoiling some of the most popular antispam filters. . . .. "Daphnia blue-crested fish cattle, darkorange fountain moss, beaverwood educating, eyeblinking advancing, dulltuned amazons...." This is not a failed attempt at free-form prose. It's a snippet of a spam message intended to promote a sexual stimulant, a deliberate crack at sneaking past and spoiling some of the most popular antispam filters. Antispam experts agreed that this isn't a brand-new technique, but said the addition of potentially filter-foiling gibberish is rapidly becoming a common component of spam. "I'd say at least half of the spam that I bother to look at now contains a paragraph or two of random blather. Until recently we'd see it in only one or two spams a week at the most," said Anthony Baxter, one of the developers of SpamBayes, a free, open-source Bayesian antispam filter. "This is yet another escalation of the arms race between spammers and those people who like to have a useful e-mail inbox," Baxter added. The addition of seemingly nonsensical words is aimed at confusing the antispam filters that incorporate Bayesian analysis techniques, such as SpamBayes and SpamAssassin. These filters examine incoming e-mail messages and calculate the probability of it being spam based on each message's contents. The link for this article located at Wired.com is no longer available. . The unsolicited email landscape is always evolving as spammers invent tactics to bypass advanced filters, using techniques like "word salad" to confuse systems and degrade spam detection. Antispam Techniques, Spam Filtering, Email Security, Bayesian Analysis. . Anthony Pell
On the open-source front, Guardian Digital, Allendale, N.J., launched in March a secure e-mail suite for corporate use that offers both antivirus and spam-control features. The Guardian Secure Mail Suite, which integrates with the company's Engarde Secure Linux 1.5 server, is available through distributors at prices starting at $749.. . .. On the open-source front, Guardian Digital, Allendale, N.J., launched in March a secure e-mail suite for corporate use that offers both antivirus and spam-control features. The Guardian Secure Mail Suite, which integrates with the company's Engarde Secure Linux 1.5 server, is available through distributors at prices starting at $749. Even as e-mail leaders Microsoft, Lotus and Novell introduce enhanced antispam capabilities in their e-mail clients and servers, the spam crisis has given way to a bevy of enterprise-oriented spam-control solutions that have come on the market since the beginning of the year. ISVs say the opportunities for channel partners are sizable. "The opportunity for resellers is very strong right now," said Enrique Salem, president and CEO of antispam vendor Brightmail. "Demand is brisk. There's equal if not more demand for antispam solutions now than antivirus. For a VAR who knows how to sell security or is in the messaging business, it's a pretty straightforward process. We closed numerous deals with resellers." The link for this article located at CRN is no longer available. . SecureMail Pro debuted with enhanced encryption solutions, catering to increasing merchant needs in the tech sector.. Secure Email Suite, Antispam Solutions, Guardian Digital, Open Source Security. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Mail Abuse Prevention System LLC (MAPS), a private, antispam group, and Experian eMarketing Inc. have settled a lawsuit over Experian's listing on the Realtime Blackhole List (RBL). Both sides announced the settlement late Wednesday.. . .. Mail Abuse Prevention System LLC (MAPS), a private, antispam group, and Experian eMarketing Inc. have settled a lawsuit over Experian's listing on the Realtime Blackhole List (RBL). Both sides announced the settlement late Wednesday. "A settlement has been reached in which Experian has committed to requiring their clients to provide them with lists which contain only those e-mail addresses for which they have obtained the addressee's permission to send them e-mail," said Anne P. Mitchell, MAPS' director of legal and public affairs. "They have further committed to address and resolve any complaints and concerns which may arise as a result of any mailings they do for either themselves or their clients." The link for this article located at ComputerWorld is no longer available. . MAPS and Experian eMarketing resolve legal dispute over Experian's RBL status, pledging adherence to email consent regulations.. Email Compliance, Antispam Practices, MAPS Settlement. . Anthony Pell
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