Two things are certain in this world: no one likes war, and no one likes spam, those annoying emails that often fill our inboxes. This phenomenon started in the second half of the 90s when companies and startups began sending advertisements via email. In this article, you will learn what spam is (if you don't already know), why we often receive it, and most importantly, how to prevent or get rid of it.
What is spam?
Spam or unwanted email refers to any unsolicited email sent to a person without their consent. The problem is that these types of messages are sent in large quantities, which, as you can imagine, clutter inboxes. Spam is generally commercial ads, chain letters, etc. They are sent with the intention of getting recipients to buy a product, visit a specific web page, or enter their personal information on a platform.
To show you how widespread this phenomenon is, nearly 50% of emails sent worldwide are unwanted emails. However, there's no need to panic, as this number has recently been decreasing. This decline is due to drastic measures taken against spam senders and more internet service providers joining the fight. In addition, various authorities are imposing sanctions on those who continue to send such messages.
The term Spam originates from a sketch by the famous British comedy group, Monty Python. It was used so much during this sketch that it became impossible to hold a normal conversation. This quickly transferred to the world of online communication, giving rise to spam or unwanted emails.
Existing spam forms
As you now know, spam is sent via email. However, it can take several forms. The reason for this is that spam senders often use unique software called email-harvesters or spambots.
Most of these unwanted messages contain links that expose you to phishing, unreliable advertisements, false information, and especially malware.
Spam categories
We can identify 4 different categories of spam:
- Phishing: This type of spam is quite dangerous, as the sender often pretends to be an agent of a company or bank. The sender asks the recipient to transfer personal information, particularly bank data. To achieve this, the sender designs a website accessible through links included in the spam. These fake platforms closely resemble the original sites. If you fall for it and provide your information, there's a high chance that it will later be used by cybercriminals.
- Fake information: Many spam emails present bizarre information, warnings, or stories. Although such content is usually fictional, you can quickly become overwhelmed by these types of emails spreading false information.
- Advertisements: Illegal merchants often use unwanted emails to promote their services or products, often involving illicit web content, medications like Viagra, counterfeit luxury watches, etc. Some of these ads often redirect to pages where you must subscribe. It is also common to be asked to pay to download content, which, as you can imagine, only enriches the sender.
- Malware: A large number of computers become infected due to spam. The most common malicious software in spam emails includes Trojans, computer viruses, etc. When integrated into unwanted emails, simply opening them can infect your computer, in which case you'll need antivirus software.
Fight against spam or unwanted emails
Let's be clear, it's practically impossible to completely prevent spam. Indeed, a large number of people engage in this practice every day. However, there are still steps you can take to reduce the frequency of unwanted messages:
- Only use your main email when necessary. For instance, there are unreliable online platforms offering questionable services. If you find yourself on such sites, use a secondary email address. If you don't have one, create one.
- Be selective about the websites where you publish your email. Research the security level and privacy policy of the platforms you visit. If you must provide your email address, you can do so with slight modifications. For example, you can spell out "dot" instead of using ".". However, even this way, some bots can still find your actual email.
Use an antispam filter
An antispam filter refers to any program capable of recognizing unwanted communication and sorting it accordingly. This type of software is currently offered by reliable email providers. These filters mostly perform automatic checks on email content and can even blacklist senders.
However, despite the effectiveness of these programs that use a list of phrases or expressions commonly found in spam emails to recognize them, there is no systematic way to identify unwanted emails. As if that wasn't frustrating enough, your filter may classify important emails as spam and vice versa. It is therefore recommended to ensure your antispam program is working properly.
