Spam is either a kind of meat or a word that describes unwanted emails. It is said that the word spam became a popular way to describe unsolicited or unwanted electronic mail, as it has similar properties as the spam, the meat, in as much as nobody likes it. Of course, many people enjoy a spam sandwich, or a slice or two with their salad, and the Monty Python song is considered to be the origin of how this word came to be used with email communication.
Types of spam
Broadly speaking, email spam comes under three categories, which are,
- Anonymity – Any email that conceals the address of the sender.
- Mass circulation – Any email that is sent to a large mailing list or group of users.
- Unsolicited – The email was not requested by the recipient.
The content
Spam emails usually request certain information from the recipient, which can be used for illegal purposes, and while most people would not divulge personal or financial information to someone they do not know, there are those who fall victim to the malicious practice. A spam email could be a sales pitch, aimed at directing the recipient to a website that offers products for sale, and while these are not dangerous, they can be very annoying, especially if they arrive on a daily basis.
How can I prevent spam from arriving in my inbox?
There are efficient anti spam services that can give the user total protection, and the software would be supplied by a developer, who, for a small fee, would install the application and you are then protected. Any email that is not known or requested would be automatically quarantined, preventing it from reaching the user’s inbox. All email accounts will have a junk folder, yet spam developers can easily by-pass this filter system, so to be sure of complete protection, it is best to install an efficient anti-spam software application.
Other benefits
Apart from blocking all unwanted emails, the software can also identify and quarantine any known harmful attachment, which is the standard way to spread a virus. Typically the sender would use an attractive heading, and the text would be such to encourage the user to click on the attachment, which contains the executable file that will install itself on your hard drive, and then begin to do whatever it is programmed to do. Some viruses affect the user’s computer, while others will wipe out all the data, and they can even render a hard disk unusable. The virus would be programmed to operate as the creator intended, and it might sit on your drive for weeks without causing a problem, until a certain date and time arrives, and this is the signal for the virus to get to work.
An essential tool
Anti-spam software has become an essential tool for the business user, as it not only filters unwanted emails, it also protects the user against malicious attacks, which are usually disguised as a simple email with an attachment included.
Modern software offers total protection, and in this day and age, nothing less is acceptable, so make sure your inbox is protected from the unwanted emails that have become a part of the Internet.
