| Before we learn about anti-spam software, we need | | | | body of the message, and the type of attachments |
| to first know what is spam. To put it succinctly, spam | | | | accompanying the mail. You could arrange to filter out |
| is unsolicited and unwanted email. Other names for | | | | even the sender's email address. Certain Internet |
| spam are Unsolicited Bulk Mail, Excessive Multi-Posting, | | | | Service Providers (ISPs) maintain a blacklist of habitual |
| and Unsolicited Commercial email, in addition to the | | | | spam senders - known as spammers. Anti-spam |
| more common - spam mail, bulk email or just junk mail. | | | | software detects these blacklisted senders and |
| The advent of email brought in an era of instant | | | | rejects them per se. |
| communication, where information reaches our | | | | Over time, anti-Spam software has become |
| desktops, at negligible cost, and in no time at all, from | | | | sophisticated to match with the wiles of the |
| across the globe. | | | | spammers. They use techniques that do not trash |
| Along with the benefits, came the negative aspects of | | | | genuine emails by effectively analyzing the content of |
| email. For the multitudes of marketing hawks out there, | | | | the email. Such software looks for keywords and tries |
| this was an opportunity to send unsolicited promotions | | | | to interpret their meanings in the sentences. Certain |
| of their products, instantly, and at a very low cost. | | | | spam filters do not accept emails that come to you in |
| Today, spam has reached such monumental | | | | the form of "Undisclosed Recipients." They accept |
| proportions that 10 out of every 13 emails (76.9%) we | | | | emails where your email address is in the "to" or "cc" |
| receive are spam, one way or the other. This is why | | | | fields. |
| anti-Spam filter has become a must have software | | | | Anti-spam software has become an essential part of |
| for almost all PC users. | | | | your computer's security, to ensure that you only |
| Stopping Spam | | | | receive the emails you want, and not others. To help |
| Simply put, anti-spam software helps detect spam. It is | | | | eliminate spam, look for anti-spam software that has |
| a software program that detects unsolicited and | | | | the following features, among many others: |
| unwanted e-mail, and prevents them from reaching | | | | • Blocking emails using both lists and preset |
| your inbox. | | | | filters - blocks specific addresses, watches subject |
| Anti-Spam software is also known by many different | | | | lines, and messages within |
| names, such as: Spam Filters, Email Spam Filtering, | | | | • Updating filters automatically |
| Spam Blocking Software, Anti-Spam Filter, Spam | | | | • Isolates spam outside of your inbox |
| Filtering Software, Spam Blockers, Bayesian Filters, and | | | | • Puts acceptable emails automatically into |
| Anti-Spam, among many others. | | | | your safe list |
| Anti-spam software is installed in your machine to | | | | • Monitors and filters multiple email accounts |
| divert the spam coming in. If installed in the mail server, | | | | Now that you know the basics about the need and |
| you will never receive the spam, to begin with. The | | | | importance of anti-Spam filter, select the right one for |
| filtering is configured based on a number of criteria. | | | | your computer and get rid of the menace of Spam. |
| These could be specific words in the subject line, in the | | | | |