<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next >>
Spam is unsolicited email, normally with an advertising content sent out as a mass mailing.
The term spam is derived from spiced ham, the first tinned meat product that did not need to be kept in a refrigerator. Its use spread as a result, becoming part of the communal meals of the United Status and Russian armies during the Second World War.
Later on, in 1969, actors from Monty Python acted out a sketch in which customers in a restaurant tried to choose from a menu where all the dishes contained… spam, while a group of Vikings chanted “spam, spam, spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam”. In short, spam appeared everywhere and drowned out all the other conversations.
For historical purposes, the first documented case of spam is a letter sent in 1978 by the company Digital Equipment Corporation. This company sent an advertisement about its DEC-20 computer to all ArpaNet users (precursor of the Internet) on the west coast of the United States. However, the word spam was not coined until 1994, when an advertisement appeared in Usenet from the lawyers Lawrence Cantera and Martha Siegel. It provided information about their service for completing entry forms for United States work permits. This advertisement was sent using a script to all the discussion groups back then.
Some of the most common characteristics these types of email messages have are:
- The address that appears as that of the message sender is unknown to the user and is quite often spoofed..
- The message does not often have a Reply address.
- An eye-catching subject is presented.
- It has advertising content: website advertisements, ways to make money easily, miracle products, property offers, or simply lists of products on special offer.
- Most spam is written in English and comes from the United States or Asia, although spam in Spanish is also now becoming common.
Although this type of malware is normally spread via email, there are variants, each with their own name according to their distribution channel:
- Spam: sent by email.
- Spim: specific to Instant Messaging applications (MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger etc).
- Spit: spam over IP telephony. IP telephony consists in using the Internet to make telephone calls.
- Spam SMS: spam designed to be sent to mobile devices using SMS (Short Message Service).
Spam is a phenomenon which is increasing daily, representing a high percentage of all email traffic.
What’s more, as more effective solutions and technologies emerge to tackle spam, spammers (malicious users exclusively devoted to sending spam) become ever more sophisticated and modify their techniques in order to avoid the countermeasures deployed by users.
[Top]
<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next >>