SpamThe slides was done by Gabrielė Bautonytė

What is spam ? Spam is everywhere. As Internet-based

communication technology evolves so do the methods unscrupulous individuals use to send you advertisements.

When you hear the word spam, your immediate thoughts go to the more well-known and common form of spam: email spam. 

What is spam ? However, other types of spam are found

in a variety of Internet communication mediums such as instant messaging, discussion boards, mobile phones with text messaging, newsgroups, Internet telephony, blogs — basically any device or client that provides a means for communications.

All about email spam While many Internet users have

resigned themselves to the fact that email spam is here to stay, there is nothing more annoying than logging in to check your email and downloading or sifting through tens or hundreds (or even thousands) of unwanted email advertising for some product sent directly to your email address.

How SPAM looks

All about email spam Email spam numbers have been on the

rise because e-mail spam is a cheap way to garner a few sales. For the solicitor, the costs associated with spamming are minimal. All they need is time and enough money for an Internet connection and lists of e-mail addresses.

5 Best Practices to Combat Email Spam

Currently, there is no way to completely stop spam. The good news, however, is that individuals can take proactive steps to limit the number of incoming spam emails to save time, frustrations and money.

1. Keep Your Email Address More Private; 2. Choose More Complex Email Address; 3. Don't Click Links in Spam Email; 4. Use a Good Email Filter; 5. Remember the Virus Scanner.

Keep your email address more private

To avoid email address harvesting practices, it's important to not post (in text) your email address in public Internet chat rooms, on any Web site, newsgroup, guestbook or blogs to which you post. 

Choose more complex email address

Some spammers basically attack mail servers and use a method called a dictionary attack to get their junk mail sent out. Basically, the spam is sent to every combination of letters and common names at an ISP. In this scenario, spam is more likely to get through to a common, short email address like "mary @insertdomainname.com" than it would "mary_washinger @insertdomainname.com".

Don't click links in spam email Even if the links reads "click to

unsubscribe," if that link appears within a spam message, chances are your click to unsubscribe is used solely for the purpose of informing the spammer that your email address is valid  and you may end up on even more spam lists.

Use a good email filter The best proactive step you can take to

limit spam mail in your in box is to use a good email filter. There are many types of filters available today that will block or filter email based its content, header or even language. Most email programs will allow you to define your own criteria for blocking in addition to these filters.

Remember the virus scanner The golden rule for any spam is to never

open or accept files from people you do not know. Spam is rife with worms, Trojans, and viruses that can be attached as what seems to be legitimate files in email messages. While the above best practices can help with lowering the number of spam emails you receive, only a real-time virus scanner can help with removing the risks to your system security.

All about Spam over Instant messaging (SPIM)

Spim, is a type of spam that uses IM platforms as the transport medium. Users of different public IM systems, who use public profiles are quite likely to receive unsolicited advertising messages from spammers. Similar to e-mail spam, spim messages are advertisements and will usually contain an embedded hyperlink link to visit the Web site this individual or bot is marketing.

How SPIM looks

Comparing Spam and Spim Compared to spam, spim is less

common, but it is often thought to be a bigger annoyance and intrusion. When you check your email, you can quickly scan the incoming messages and read only those you know are legitimate, leaving the spam for a later time (or for a mass delete). 

Comparing Spam and Spim Spim, however, is sent through a real-

time communication platform, which means you have to deal with spim in real-time as well. You have to stop what you are doing and deal with the spim as the IM window pops up. Spim is also considered to be more of a risk than e-mail spam because IM users expect to be on the receiving end of a message from a user in their buddy list — not a spimmer.

IM Spam (spim): 3 Best Practices For Individuals

If you're familiar with combating e-mail spam, you'll have a head start in your fight against spim. Again, the golden rule to protection and security is to never  open or accept files from people you do not know!

1. Private access is key; 2. Even buddies can be harmful; 3. Remember the virus scanner.

Private access is key The best way to avoid spim is to never

open or respond to a message from a person you do not know. If you make your IM user name and contact details public, just like with e-mail spam, you are providing spimmers with the information they need to contact you. Keep your IM profile and username off public directories.

Even buddies can be harmful To avoid security risks, use extreme caution

in opening any file or link in an IM — even if you do know the user who is sending it. The nature of Trojans and worms that spread through IM channels means your buddy's system could be infected, and the message you receive may simply be the result of a worm replicating on its own through their contact list.

Remember the virus scanner The golden rule for any spam is to never

open or accept files from people you do not know. Spam is rife with worms, Trojans, and viruses which, in IM can seem like a harmless message from a person in your contact list. A virus scanner will go a long way in helping to protect your system from malicious spim.

All about Spam over internet telephony (SPIT)

According to Internet and technical publications, spit is already an acronym. However, when the acronym was created in October 2004, there wasn't a single reported cases of spit. Much like spam and spim, it's believed that as internet telephony becomes more popular with consumers, spit is sure to follow.

How SPIT looks

All about Spam over internet telephony (SPIT)

Similar to spam and spim, spit offers spammers a low-cost alternative to unsolicited marketing. Mass marketing using automated voice messages is accomplished literally with the push of a button. The attraction to spammers, of course, is that spit can be fully automated and is certainly cheaper than staffing a call center with people to make voice calls. 

Internet Telephony Spam (spit): Best Practices For

Individuals Understand the Risk: While spit is not

nearly as common as spam or spim, it's important to identify the potential risk to your network and educate yourself about what is happening in terms of trends. Being aware that the problem exists on a small scale now will help you if and when it becomes a common spam tactic.

Interesting facts about spam Spam accounts for 14.5 billion messages

globally per day. In other words, spam makes up 45% of all emails. Some research companies estimate that spam email makes up an even greater portion of global emails, some 73% in fact. The United States is the number one generator of spam email, with Korea clocking in as the second largest contributor of unwanted email.

Interesting facts about spam The most prevalent type of spam is

advertising-related email; this type of spam accounts for approximately 36% of all spam messages. The second most common category of spam is adult-related in subject and makes up roughly 31.7% of all spam. Unwanted emails related to financial matters is the third most popular form of spam, at 26.5%.

The conclusion The Internet is a wonderful resource

that can help you find out nearly anything you want to know. It’s also home to the same types of people who inhabit the real world: thieves, con men, liars, cheats, exploiters and other ruffians.

Thank you for your time