What Is Anti-Spam Software?

Before we learn about anti-spam software, we need to first know what is spam. To put it succinctly, spam is unsolicited and unwanted email. Other names for spam are Unsolicited Bulk Mail, Excessive Multi-Posting, and Unsolicited Commercial email, in addition to the more common - spam mail, bulk email or just junk mail. The advent of email brought in an era of instant communication, where information reaches our desktops, at negligible cost, and in no time at all, from across the globe.

Along with the benefits, came the negative aspects of email. For the multitudes of marketing hawks out there, this was an opportunity to send unsolicited promotions of their products, instantly, and at a very low cost. Today, spam has reached such monumental proportions that 10 out of every 13 emails (76.9%) we receive are spam, one way or the other. This is why anti-Spam filter has become a must have software for almost all PC users.

Stopping Spam

Simply put, anti-spam software helps detect spam. It is a software program that detects unsolicited and unwanted e-mail, and prevents them from reaching your inbox.

Anti-Spam Filter software is also known by many different names, such as: Spam Filters, Email Spam Filtering, Spam Blocking Software, Anti-Spam Filter, Spam Filtering Software, Spam Blockers, Bayesian Filters, and Anti-Spam, among many others.

Anti-spam software is installed in your machine to divert the spam coming in. If installed in the mail server, you will never receive the spam, to begin with. The filtering is configured based on a number of criteria. These could be specific words in the subject line, in the body of the message, and the type of attachments accompanying the mail. You could arrange to filter out even the sender's email address. Certain Internet Service Providers (ISPs) maintain a blacklist of habitual spam senders - known as spammers. Anti-spam software detects these blacklisted senders and rejects them per se.

Over time, anti-Spam filter has become sophisticated to match with the wiles of the spammers. They use techniques that do not trash genuine emails by effectively analyzing the content of the email. Such software looks for keywords and tries to interpret their meanings in the sentences. Certain spam filters do not accept emails that come to you in the form of "Undisclosed Recipients." They accept emails where your email address is in the "to" or "cc" fields.

Anti-spam software has become an essential part of your computer's security, to ensure that you only receive the emails you want, and not others. To help eliminate spam, look for anti-spam software that has the following features, among many others:

• Blocking emails using both lists and preset filters - blocks specific addresses, watches subject lines, and messages within
• Updating filters automatically
• Isolates spam outside of your inbox
• Puts acceptable emails automatically into your safe list
• Monitors and filters multiple email accounts

Now that you know the basics about the need and importance of anti-Spam filter, select the right one for your computer and get rid of the menace of Spam.

A. Singh

Anti Spam Software Review

Before reviewing the effectiveness of the various anti-spam software available in the market, it is good to have a first-hand knowledge of what it really is.

First, what is spam? Spam is basically unwanted e-mail messages, usually commercial in nature, which is sent to a bulk of e-mail addresses.

When this type of message falls on your Inbox, it is quite annoying to have to sort through the e-mail messages that you don't need and those that you actually need to read. Not to mention the fact that some of these e-mail messages may contain viruses, bugs or attachments which can be harmful to your system.

To prevent spam from flooding your mailbox, computer software manufacturers developed anti-spam software. There are also web sites on the Internet where you can download free trial editions of such anti-spam software.

Here is a brief run through of the top anti-spam software that you can use to help eliminate those unwanted e-mail messages from crowding your mailbox:

-e-Trust Anti-spam Software

Qurb Anti-Spam Software, which was acquired by CA, offers the e-Trust anti-spam software.

e-Trust can easily be used with your Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. It easily filters spam from getting into your Inbox.

Here's how it works: e-Trust scans your Inbox to check for messages from your safe list, or those who are already added to your address book.

An e-mail from an unknown sender will be placed on your e-Trust folder so you might want to check this from time to time, especially if you are expecting to receive a message from a new sender.

This anti-spam software is therefore 'trained' to scan your mailbox for the messages that you need and those that you throw away as junk.

-Spam Shield

Just like e-Trust, Spam Shield is an anti-spam software which can be integrated with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express.

Spam Shield gets rid of 99% or your junk mail so that it will not clutter your mailbox anymore.

With its easy installation option, Spam Shield works seamlessly with your usual e-mail application, making browsing through your wanted e-mail messages a breeze.

-Choice Mail One

This is also a good anti-spam software which gets rid of all unwanted e-mail messages. With Choice Mail One 3.x, you can integrate this anti-spam software with your AOL, MSN, Yahoo or Hotmail account. It also lets you import your contacts list for approval.

The free trial version of this anti-spam software is ChoiceMail Free.

-Spam Bully

Spam Bully offers to end your spam problems by cleaning your mailbox and keeping it free from spam. Spam Bully works with Outlook and Outlook Express.

Its 'allow and block list' is the feature which decides which mail goes to your Inbox and which ones go straight to your junk mail folder.

It also has the 'auto-delete' option to automatically delete spam instead of the messages just going to another folder.

-Spam Eater

Spam Eater conveniently checks your mailbox every ten minutes, and once a spam or a virus is detected, they are automatically "eaten" by the software. Unlike other anti-spam software, this requires no downloading or installation and is quick and easy to set up.

With hundreds of options in the market, you can easily find a good anti-spam software that will fit your budget and your needs so that you would never have to encounter spam on your mailbox again.

Dave Poon

Anti-Spam Software - The Importance of Anti-Spam Software

You may have have found yourself in the following position. You open your email program, get up to make some coffee and upon your return you find your inbox crammed full of unwanted junk mail. It is going to waste your time (and money!) just to try and sort through this much email on a daily basis and may amount to no more than a hill of beans. You want some anti-spam filtering to help you with sorting your emails.

Email spam has turned out to be a big stealer of time and an irritation for individuals and company employees alike. There are real losses of time and money involved for businesses. Companies want to deal with this unwanted hazard effectively and easily.

Some estimations put the amount of spam email being sent on a daily basis at around 100 billion. That is incredible! Just imagine the total amount of time and bandwith that may be wasted on something which most internet users dislike, even hate.

You need to have an anti-spam filtering program or service that can screen your incoming emails and sort them into wanted emails and suspicious emails. Spam filtering software will do the job for you. It will automatically sort through your emails and send suspicious junk mail to a separate folder.

Installing and regularly updating anti-spam software may help with filtering your emails. It tries to let your regular emails through while stopping unknown e-mails from clogging up your inbox. High quality spam filters are estimated to be up to 98% effective, although they are not always correct in their sorting process. It may happen that an e-mail you would have wanted to read gets thrown into the dustbin.

Adjusting the sensitivity of your spam filter may help to regulate this problem. The higher you set the anti-spam filter sensitivity, the harsher it will sort your incoming emails and the greater the likelihood of it marking an e-mail as spam. It could happen that an important email may be marked as spam and that you never get to read it. In the end it is a balancing act between too much filtering and too little filtering.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a popular choice for spam protection and protection against virus infections. You can download and use a free edition or buy the full version. You are able to configure your scanning schedules as well as update the software database from the internet. It also boasts email, instant messenger and internet browser protection options.

You should remember that installing and using two different anti-spam software on your computer does not offer you double the protection. Use only one at a time and be sure to uninstall the anti-spam software you are not going to use before installing a new one.

If you have enough bandwith available, it is probably a good thing to let the software check for automatic updates. This will ensure that the anti-spam software stays up to date with the latest data concerning spam mail, virus and spyware.

Anti-spam filtering may save you time and in some cases even money. There are a lot of free anti-spam software available that you may choose to use. They are free, so you do not have to spend a cent to receive spam protection.

Nicolaas Theron

What You Need to Know about Anti-Spam Software for Outlook

Most people would define spam as unsolicited e-mail. They are e-mail messages which are mostly marketing schemes which crowd your Inbox. If you do not have an anti-spam software, you would have to sort through hundreds of junk mail before you can even get to read the e-mail messages which came from contacts whom you actually know.

This is not just time consuming but annoying as well. Some people even find it offensive when companies get a hold of their e-mail addresses and send them marketing correspondence through e-mail.

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most common e-mail programs used by Windows users. There are a lot of anti-spam software which can work seamlessly with Outlook, and this is one way of filtering junk mail from going through your mailbox.

Take a look at some of the top-rated anti-spam software which would work well with your Outlook e-mail program:

- SPAMfighter for Outlook

SPAMfighter has teamed up with Microsoft to develop an anti-spam tool for Outlook and Outlook Express users. This is an easy to install tool which would get rid of spam from littering your Inbox.

This is how it works: Once a new e-mail message shows up on your Inbox, it is tested by SPAMfighter. The tool has a feature which automatically detects spam, and if the message sent is considered to be junk mail, it goes straight to your spam folder.

There is also an option where once you click a button, spam mail is removed from the mailbox of other SPAMfighter users in over 200 countries.

It works seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. The good thing about this tool is that you can help other online users by reporting spam once you receive it, and as soon as it is reported, the same message which will litter another Inbox will also be removed.

This tool comes in two versions, the SPAMfighter Pro and SPAMfighter Standard.

- CA Anti-spam Software for Outlook

CA, which is formerly known as Qurb anti-spam software, can also be integrated with Outlook. The application is now known as eTrust Anti-Spam which aims to stop all spam messages from even reaching your Inbox. As soon as eTrust Anti-spam is installed, it will work so well with Outlook or Outlook Express that you would think that it is a feature of your e-mail client.

- Norton Anti-Spam Software

Norton is one of the more popular anti-virus software. Their Norton Anti-Spam program filters your mailbox on several levels and it works well with Outlook and Outlook Express. Another feature of this program is blocking pop-up advertisements.

- Anti-Spam 1.3 for Outlook

Any version of Anti-Spam for Outlook will remove more than 90% of spam on your mailbox. With this application, you can train the software to classify the messages on your Inbox as 'spam' or 'friend'. After some time, it will be automatically configured and will instantly classify your messages as junk or something that should show up on your Inbox.

Here are other anti-spam software that you can use seamlessly with Outlook:

• Cloudmark Safety Bar
• SpamBayes Outlook Add-in
• Outclass
• Ella for Spam Control
• Outlook Spam Filter
• Trend Micro Anti-Spam Pilot

These applications will do the job for you by sifting through the hundreds of spam mail that you receive everyday so that you can have a spam-free, uncluttered mailbox.

Dave Poon

Convincing the Boss to Cough Up For Anti-Spam Software

Ah, there's nothing like starting the day with a steaming cup of coffee, a chocolate doughnut... and a stinking mountain of spam.

It seems like your company's anti spam filter lets almost all your daily spam right through. They may as well send an invitation. And so instead of enjoying your breakfast while reading up on the latest antics of Paris Hilton and the Middle East, you get to filter your emails, instead. Going through what feels like a billion spam emails to fish out anything that's real work... what fun.

By the time you're finished, your chocolate doughnut has gone unsavored and you're left wondering if all those "Miracle Diet Pill!" emails are trying to tell you something about the affect your daily doughnut is having on your body.

Sorting through mountains of spam eats up time that could be better spent screwing off at work-- or, hey, even working. And while your company probably has a spam filter in place, unless they really work at keeping their software updated you're going to be bombarded with spam. After all, just because spammers are the scum of the earth doesn't mean they're stupid... they know their way around sub-par anti spam software.

Chances are, your manager doesn't realize that your current software is outdated-- he never checks his emails, anyway. But he does care that your time is being wasted with spam when you could be getting some work done. Want to make your boss sit up and take notice of the problem? Give him a poetic sampling of what you deal with each day.

Thousands of customers, meds online
Improved performance, for yours and mine
Oh, the temptation
And stubborn persuasion

Fine watches, all for cheap
Discounts on brands, no price too steep
All that distraction
For just a fraction

Here's the best deal we'll ever make
Improved performance for me, better results for you - have and eat that cake!
I swear it's no scam
JUST GET RID OF ALL THAT SPAM!

Your boss may ask you where you found the time to write up stupid poems about spam when you should be working-- just tell him you cribbed it from Shakespeare. He won't know.

Did you put your heart and soul into your "Spam Hurts" poem, but feel like it got you nowhere? Give the boss a real taste of how much spam eats up your time by forwarding him all of your spam messages. Sure, you'll look like sort of a jerk, but... it'll probably work.

If it doesn't, you may want to think about taking your boss out to that famous Monty Python restaurant offering "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Baked Beans, and Spam" to accentuate your point.

All jokes aside, dealing with heaps of spam is counterproductive-- and that's not something your boss wants. With all the cutting edge anti-spam software available, there's no reason for you to spend your busy days sifting through spam-- a good spam filter deals with it for you. And if getting more work out of you doesn't convince your boss to opt for better spam software... well, nothing will. If that happens, take a few extra minutes in the morning to enjoy your doughnut and your daily Paris Hilton gossip, guilt free. Your boss deserves unproductive employees.

Jes Darmanin

Anti Spam Software

If you think you can handle spam your own way, forget it! It is impossible to surf the web without protecting your computer and mailbox with anti-spam software.

Traditionally, anti-spam software comes in three different forms – as email plug-ins, stand-alone programs and server-based email spam filters. The email plug-ins receives all spam related messages and downloads them before sorting and signaling the authorities about it. Some types of software blacklists the spam IP addresses, notifies their Internet service providers and blocks them. Some software depends on the user to mark their spam messages and set to work on them based on the user information provided. So far, the best known anti spam software is Bayesian filtering since it follows no rules in its combat against spam. It continues reinvent itself by scanning your read mails with spam ones and thus learning more about new spam technology.

McAfee’s Spam Killer is an effective spam filter which filters and prevents known scam and protects your inbox against unknown junk mails. Apart from just controlling your email content, it also automatically reports spam to your ISP. The latest version of Spam Killer costs $24.99 dollars and comes with many unique features like invisible filtering and auto-detection of accounts.

Email Protector removes spam without touching legitimate mails. It is preferred by many as one of the best anti-spam software available today. It is easy to use, affordable and comes with a free trial to check out how effective it is.

Spam Agent of Anti Spam software has more than 1,500 preset filters which scan and eliminate unwanted messages. It also reports spammers and ensures that only unwanted mail is deleted from your inbox. This software comes with the facility of creating one’s own customized filters for one’s email boxes and is compatible with Outlook Express and other email software like Eudora.

Peter Emerson