question about spam filters

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by notageek, Jul 31, 2002.

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  1. notageek

    notageek Registered Member

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    Ok I have mailwasher and it don't work with hotmail ( I use outlook to read my hotmail). Is there a prog that will work with hotmail?
     
  2. cshell

    cshell Registered Member

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    I may be wrong but I think HotMail is web based e-mail. You can accesses it with Outlook because both are from M$. Mail washer can only be used to access POP 3 Accounts at this time. I doubt that there is any mail program you can use to access HotMial other than Outlook.

    I base my guess on my experience with Yahoo. If you use the free service, you have Web Mail and can't check mail with a e-mail client. If you pay for their service, you can then receive and send e-mail through Yahoo with a e-mail client.

    Point is that HotMail and Yahoo control how you can access your mail. I think you are out of luck at this time for a e-mail client that will access HotMail.

    By the way Mail Washer is a great program.
     
  3. notageek

    notageek Registered Member

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    Oh thanks cshell. I have yahoo also but I get a lot of pron in the box so i stopped using it. I know mailwasher is a good program.
     
  4. MickeyTheMan

    MickeyTheMan Security Expert

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    If the author from mailwasher holds his promise, it will offer support for webmail accounts within few weeks.

    I already have it working with hotmailby using Web2Pop (shareware)

    Actually just went to his site and there is a message:
    Hotmail, AOL, other web mail
    28 July 2002
    Hotmail support will be available end of August, AOL shortly after this.
     
  5. Checkout

    Checkout Security Rhinoceros

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    According to the author, Hotmail support is already working, but he won't release it until it also supports Yahoo! et al.
     
  6. notageek

    notageek Registered Member

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    Thanks Mikey and chackout for the info.
     
  7. cshell

    cshell Registered Member

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    I have to ask one of my dumb questions here. How is he going to get the program to work with Yahoo, when the Yahoo servers will deny access. Yahoo used to let you check and send E-mail with your e-mail client if you had agreed to receive e-mail from them periodically. A few months ago they discontinued that policy.

    If you want to use an external e-mail client you have to pay for your account. $9.00 or something a year. If he finds a workaround, I am sure that Yahoo will catch on and stop that workaround. Yahoo is trying to force every one to change from free e-mail, to a paid subscription.

    Don't get me wrong. I think Mail Washer is a great program. I contributed the full amount $20.00 or something like that after using it a few weeks.

    Hasn't decreased the amount of Spam we receive, in fact if we bounce Spam then we are always going to get a failure to deliver notice back from some post master. Most Spamers do not include a legitimate return address.

    On the other hand I know people who swear Mail Washer has decreased the amount of Spam they are receiving.

    What Mail Washer does for me is allow me to quickly preview e-mail, and delete what I don't want to download. Additionally because I learned to recognize some of the Vs that I are going around, I can delete them off the server,
    without downloading them. Believe me some VS are getting
    very tricky with subject lines.

    I realize this has gotten off the path of my question, but at the same time I want you to know that I am not being Critical of Mail Washer. It is a great program that everyone should have, and I think everyone should contribute a little
    something to.
     
  8. John Little

    John Little Guest

    Interesting discussion. I tried MailWasher with limited success, but it does work. Nothing is going to eliminate it completely. Have you ever tried creating your own filters?

    The best way to do this is through the following method:

    1. Do not create your "subject line" filters until you have suffered through at least 2 weeks to a month of spam. Collecting spam, if you will

    2. Never open the spam. never.

    3. Drag it into a folder in your email client called "SPAM"

    4. Make sure nothing goes in your SPAM folder except the spam.

    5. If you have other accounts, and spam is coming to them, make note of the subject words, put them in a notepad file and send it to yourself, where you can drag it into your SPAM folder. Again, you are NEVER opening the spam.

    6. After a specified period of time - open the folder and write down the keywords used in the spam: you'll be writing down stuff like "casinos" "teens" "c*m" "mortgage" there will be a lot of redundant themes.

    7. Create your subject-based filters and set it to DELETE from server. Will you miss a couple of legits? Maybe, maybe not. They'll write back and you can explain, or, go look at what's on the server every once and a while.

    8. Enjoy FAR less spam than you ever imagined.

    9. There are several nice templates to be found on the internet of fake "bounce messages" - collect some of those if you can.

    10. Create an account from webmaster@blah.com and create your own template. Make sure it is PERFECT.

    11. For all those "hi" "hello!" etc. spams that you know is, in fact, spam --- send them through your "webmaster account" a bounce message that their software will read as a bounce and it WILL strike your addy from the software. That's what it does - it is email harvesting and weeding software. Sometimes the original spam is for a fake product or service - sent only to utilize the software on their end. At one time it was true that fake emails were mostly used for replies by spammers. That is not always the case anymore, especially for those phony product emails that are spamming simply to confirm or weed. For that to work properly, their return email must be correct (it may be forwarded three times) but your "bounce" will arrrive.

    12. Can't stress enough the importance of the "bounce" being 100% authentic looking (and acting on their end). Make sure it is perfect.

    13. Combination of self-generated filters and a few "bounced" emails and within a short period of time you will be nearly spam free.

    14. Testimony: I used to get up to 50 spams a day. I now may get 3 or 4 a week., using nothing but the method above.

    Good luck!

    John Little
    "Luv2BSecure"
     
  9. Checkout

    Checkout Security Rhinoceros

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    John, great to see you again (as always). How come no L2BS login though? (Merely curious).
     
  10. octogen

    octogen Registered Member

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    Great suggestions, John Little. Thanks.
     
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