Spam, Spam, Spam and SPAM!

The number one email or call that we get in Information Security is about how to deal with the volume of annoying spam messages. So we thought we'd devote today's post to what spam is, how to avoid getting on the dreaded "spammler's list" and what you should do if you think you receive too much spam.

What is Spam?

Well, some might say it's a delicious, canned meat-like product.  We're talking about a different type of spam - the unsolicited commercial or bulk e-mail that you didn't request and that clutters up our mailboxes on a daily basis.  Spam usually contains advertisements for services or products but there can be other types as well:

• Phishing scams that ask for personal information or passwords
• Foreign bank scams or advance fee fraud schemes (click here to see one of these)
• Payroll or IRS scams (click here to see one received at KUMC)
• Pyramid and other "Get Rich Quick" or "Make Money Fast" schemes
• Quack health products and remedies
• Ads for adult web sites
• Chain letters

 

 

How can I avoid getting spam in work or personal email?

There are several things you can do to avoid getting on the spammer's list of addresses.  The first is perhaps the most important:

1. It may not seem like the right thing to do, but DO NOT respond to spam "Remove Me" e-mail addresses. This just confirms to the spammer that your email address belongs to a real, live human and their messages are getting through.  The effect is that they sell your email address to other spammers and you get even more spam!
2. Subscribe only to product emails or discussion lists that you are sure you want to receive. 
3. Check the Privacy Policy on the website before you give them your email address to subscribe to receive updates.  If it doesn't say they won't sell your information, think carefully about whether or not you really want to give them your personal information or email address.
4. Use one email address for communication with family or friends and a separate email address for receiving product updates, emails from websites, newsgroups or bulletin boards, or unmoderated discussion lists.  You'll be amazed how much spam that second account will receive, but it will keep your important email "clean".
5. If you receive only a small amount of spam, you may want to simply delete the messages and forget about it.

What does KUMC do to keep spam out of your mailbox?

KUMC has deployed Barracuda spam firewalls to identify and block approximately 96% of all inbound e-mail messages.  Yes!  96% of all the email we receive is spam!

The system can learn what is unwanted email and you can train it by clicking on the "Mark as Spam" button in Outlook when you receive a spam or phishing email.  The more messages that you mark as spam, the faster the system learns what is unwanted in your mailbox.  You can also block certain senders from sending you email.  For more information on how to change your Barracuda spam settings, click here.

And, as always, if you receive a phishing email that is asking for personal information or a password, or you're just not sure if an email is legitimate or not, forward it to Information Security at kumc-security@kumc.edu.