What's the best anti spam software then?
Discussion
After having my own domain name, and personal email address kept private for a couple of years, I'm now getting spam. Strangely, it coincides with my missus starting to get the same stuff. She hardly ever uses email, and keeps her address very private, same as me. The only thing we can put it down to, is somebody close to us, that has us both in their address book, has a virus.
Anyhoo, can anybody recommend good spam filtering software. I'm prepared to spend long hours training it, if need be.
Thanks in advance
Phil
Anyhoo, can anybody recommend good spam filtering software. I'm prepared to spend long hours training it, if need be.
Thanks in advance
Phil
The best anti-spam method is to change to an ISP who does it for you. Demon do this using a product called Brightmail - which is state of the art server side stuff - you never even download them.
Can't recommend this highly enough - wonderful.
O/T Symantec appear to have bought Brightmail for their server side anti-spam solution (the previous one was utter crap). Good for them.
If you can't change ISP then iHateSpam from Sunbelt Software is cheap and effective. Didn't need much training and kills 90% or so.
Can't recommend this highly enough - wonderful.
O/T Symantec appear to have bought Brightmail for their server side anti-spam solution (the previous one was utter crap). Good for them.
If you can't change ISP then iHateSpam from Sunbelt Software is cheap and effective. Didn't need much training and kills 90% or so.
Figuring that Ted would get a mountain of spam everyday, and would know what works, I've got the 30 day trial version of safetybar installed. I've got to say, pretty bloody impressed!!! It has picked up everything, even going back through my inbox, and finding phishing scams. 
I've also downloaded mailwasher, to try after a week or so. I like the idea of being able to use my hotmail accounts with the spam filter turned off, so it might be in with a shout. The only thing against them, is safetybar downloads the mail, then checks it (easy for the missus to use) mailwasher connects to your mail server, for you to delete the spam (not looking forward to explaining that to the wife).
Changing ISP isn't really an option for me, but thanks anyway.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Phil
Ps, Ted if I go with the safetybar, I'll stick you down as the referrer.
I've also downloaded mailwasher, to try after a week or so. I like the idea of being able to use my hotmail accounts with the spam filter turned off, so it might be in with a shout. The only thing against them, is safetybar downloads the mail, then checks it (easy for the missus to use) mailwasher connects to your mail server, for you to delete the spam (not looking forward to explaining that to the wife).
Changing ISP isn't really an option for me, but thanks anyway.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Phil
Ps, Ted if I go with the safetybar, I'll stick you down as the referrer.
simpo two said:
If the spam is actuially downloaded, can't the spammers tell that it's an active account? That's why, IIRC, deleting it at the server is best.
I'll be honest, I have no idea. Hopefully somebody on here will. If that is the case, another feather in mailwashers cap.
Phil
simpo two said:
The only thing against them, is safetybar downloads the mail, then checks it (easy for the missus to use)
If the spam is actuially downloaded, can't the spammers tell that it's an active account? That's why, IIRC, deleting it at the server is best.
Downloading it uses bandwidth. However, I'm not idea how a spammer would work out it had been downloaded.
The tell tale signs of an active accounts are:
1) If the mail client returns a delivery reciept (but this is never used because the sender address is usually bogus)
2) You click a link in the email (to unsubscribe usually). The URL has a unique reference which identifes your email address and that's flagged as active.
D
PetrolTed said:
I do indeed get hundreds of spams a day.
Safetybar is the best client software I've tried.
I've yet to find an affordable and effective server side tool as that would be preferable
Ted - have you considered getting a quote from MessageLabs (we have some of their techies as members on here). They offer a managed Spam solution. I'm not sure what the minimum number of seats are but their service is very good.
It also scans for viruses and has their own (as well as Brightmail) scanning engines for Spam.
D
What puts me off these client-side spam filters is the need to keep teaching them as new spams come into circulation. Hotmail's spam filters seem very effective, presumably because there are millions of hotmail users all teaching it so it will probably have learned to recognise the spam by the time it reaches my mailbox.
It ought to be possible to take a similar approach in a distributed system, using peer-to-peer file sharing technology to distribute spam definitions as they are updated. Has anyone ever run into anything like that?
It ought to be possible to take a similar approach in a distributed system, using peer-to-peer file sharing technology to distribute spam definitions as they are updated. Has anyone ever run into anything like that?
As an aside, isn't it about time MS introduced a client extension in Outlook that could report SPAM in the same way you can in hotmail....
It would help cut down the SPAM no end. I have to say my outlook account only gets the merest dribble of spam now and I'm almost thinking of reverting to it as my primary account again.
It would help cut down the SPAM no end. I have to say my outlook account only gets the merest dribble of spam now and I'm almost thinking of reverting to it as my primary account again.
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