Post by thread:[OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again...

Hi All Are you all getting spam from strangers offering movies,DVD's,and so on? Is it possible it coming from someone on the piclist? I can tell you that I'm not using my private email address to register any sites except the piclist (for other sites I have a decoy address) so the only way I get this annoying emails is from the list. each day I get many of it and I'm really mad. Can't we do something about that????????? Regards Tal "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas Edison -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

Tal wrote: > Hi All > > Are you all getting spam from strangers offering movies,DVD's,and so on? > Is it possible it coming from someone on the piclist? I can tell you that > I'm not using my private email address to register any sites except the > piclist (for other sites I have a decoy address) so the only way I get this > annoying emails is from the list. each day I get many of it and I'm really > mad. > Can't we do something about that????????? > > Regards > > Tal You may be please to see how many times your name pops up trough a search for the keywords: tal piclist at: http://groups.google.com/ Gaston -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

you have a fairly simple mail address its probbly just been guessed {Quote hidden}> -----Original Message----- > From: pic microcontroller discussion list > [spam_OUTPICLISTTakeThisOuTMITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Tal > Sent: Tuesday, 13 January 2004 5:13 AM > To: .....PICLISTKILLspam@spam@MITVMA.MIT.EDU > Subject: [OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again... > > > Hi All > > Are you all getting spam from strangers offering movies,DVD's,and so on? > Is it possible it coming from someone on the piclist? I can tell you that > I'm not using my private email address to register any sites except the > piclist (for other sites I have a decoy address) so the only way > I get this > annoying emails is from the list. each day I get many of it and I'm really > mad. > Can't we do something about that????????? > > Regards > > Tal > > "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." > Thomas Edison > > -- > http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: > [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand the significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? Aaron > Hi All > > Are you all getting spam from strangers offering movies,DVD's,and so on? > Is it possible it coming from someone on the piclist? I can tell > you that I'm not using my private email address to register any sites > except the piclist (for other sites I have a decoy address) so the only way I > get this annoying emails is from the list. each day I get many of it and > I'm really mad. Can't we do something about that????????? > > Regards > > Tal ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit http://www.juno.com to sign up today! -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, amg amg wrote: > While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a > whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of > isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand the > significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? There is a new class of spam filters that use the probabilities of words being adjacent to each other. So there is a new class of spam that generates sometimes almost readable text, but sometimes just jumbled words, trying to confuse the filter into thinking that this must not be spam -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

This is because many of the newer spam filters use a technique based on Bayesian filters. They analyze the words that are in the message. Certain words tend to show up in spam and certain words tend not to. How many of each of these types of words, their ratio to each other, and combinations of words all play into this detection. Lots of fuzzy matching going on with it. So the whole dictionary of bizarre words is just a technique that they are using to try and confuse these types of spam filters. Dan At 09:50 PM 1/12/2004 -0500, you wrote: >While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a >whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of >isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand the >significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

> There is a new class of spam filters that use the probabilities of words > being adjacent to each other. > > So there is a new class of spam that generates sometimes almost > readable text, but sometimes just jumbled words, trying to confuse > the filter into thinking that this must not be spam I have OE filters to dump things like the Nigerians and Viagra spam. The Nigerians don't seem to have cottoned on and still send mail which is very easily filterable (usually has URGENT or Million US Dollars in it), but product spam often has the text broken up. For example Vi,a-gr^a. Obvious what the spam is to a human. One that came yesterday, more along the lines of the OP's observation. Not exactly enticing is it ? Fortunately still very low levels so not a major PITA but mildly annoying that spammers are still even bothering ======================================= {Subject} HomeRun!! or will you strike out ? fsxo qczkexkdtit {Body} test3 a1bestmortgageKILLspamyahoo.com -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

On Monday, Jan 12, 2004, at 19:50 America/Denver, amg amg wrote: > While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a > whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of > isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand > the > significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? They are an attempt to confuse Baysian filters that "learn" mathematically what spam "looks" like. (hmm, did I spell that right?) -- Nate Duehr, .....nateKILLspam.....natetech.com -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004 21:13:09 +0200, Tal wrote on [OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again...: >Are you all getting spam from strangers offering movies,DVD's,and so on? >Is it possible it coming from someone on the piclist? I can tell you that >I'm not using my private email address to register any sites except the >piclist (for other sites I have a decoy address) so the only way I get this >annoying emails is from the list. each day I get many of it and I'm really >mad. >Can't we do something about that????????? YES! Goto http://popfile.sourceforge.net/ and install POPFile, and spam and viruses will soon be a bad souvenir; you need 2 or 3 days in order to train the program. Make sure to configure as follows: Subject line modification: Off (subject lines untouched) X-Text-Classification Header: On X-POPFile-Link Header: On Install a filter in outlook (or whatever you use) that looks for "X-Text-Classification Header: Spam" in the headers and if found sends the message to a spam folder (so you can check what the program does) or the bit bucket (when you are confident it works). That program is free. * EraseMEXrobert.soubiespam_OUTTakeThisOuTfree.frX (veuillez supprimer les "X") * http://www.astrosurf.com/soubie * Au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont mal vus... - P.Dac -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

On Mon, 12 Jan 2004, amg amg wrote: > While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a > whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of > isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand the > significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? I find that spams with the irrelevant words in them often have an html attachment with the proper spam in, or an embedded picture with the spam. Failing that, it could be a mail with an attached virus, but a mailserver along the way has removed the attachment after scanning it. Cheers, Tim -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

Nate Duehr wrote: > On Monday, Jan 12, 2004, at 19:50 America/Denver, amg amg wrote: > >> While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a >> whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of >> isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand >> the >> significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? > > > They are an attempt to confuse Baysian filters that "learn" > mathematically what spam "looks" like. > What I don't understand is, If they have to go to that much trouble to get past my SPAM filter, do they really think that I'm going to read it? Jim -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

At 07:20 PM 1/13/2004 -0600, Jim Korman wrote: >Nate Duehr wrote: > >>On Monday, Jan 12, 2004, at 19:50 America/Denver, amg amg wrote: >> >>>While we're on the subject of Spam, is anybody else getting spam with a >>>whole string of seemingly unrelated words? The spam I'm thinking of >>>isn't selling/pushing anything and it bugs me that I don't understand >>>the >>>significance of the assortment of words. Anybody care to enlighten me? >> >> >>They are an attempt to confuse Baysian filters that "learn" >>mathematically what spam "looks" like. >What I don't understand is, If they have to go to that much > >trouble to get past my SPAM filter, do they really think >that I'm going to read it? I've been getting a bunch lately, that have bunches of five letter groups, like crypto output. I don't see the point, since nobody can read it anyway. Interesting development. I also get "diet spam" with nothing in the body at all. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Korman" <jkormanspam_OUTALLTEL.NET> Subject: Re: [OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again... > What I don't understand is, If they have to go to that much > trouble to get past my SPAM filter, do they really think > that I'm going to read it? Doesn't matter. Most likely, there is an HTML message buried in there, which you didn't see since you had HTML turned off in your email to avoid exactly this thing. Now, that HTML was probably nothing more than a single picture of the ad, stored on their server so your spam filter didn't get it. The IMG tag in that message wasn't any ordinary IMG tag. It probably had some long number appended. Their server saw that number and was able to match it up with the email address they sent it to. Now, they can collect the nickel from the company who paid them to advertise, because they now have "proof" that you read it, and they also have a known valid email address that they can sell. So they make money both ways. 72/73 de WB8RCR http://www.qsl.net/wb8rcr didileydadidah QRP-L #1446 Code Warriors #35 -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

Anyone have any good reccomendations for a spamfilter for a linux system? I run my own mailserver, and it would be nice if I could install some easy to maintain system that would work for all my mail accounts. As an aside, tonight I started getting spam at an outrageous rate about "Your account Baldwin". Man is that annoying. I think I got it by adding it to hosts.deny. We'll see. Josh -- A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams Robert Soubie wrote: > YES! Goto http://popfile.sourceforge.net/ and install > POPFile, and spam and viruses will soon be a bad souvenir; > you need 2 or 3 days in order to train the program. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

> As an aside, tonight I started getting spam at an outrageous > rate about "Your account Baldwin". Man is that annoying. I think > I got it by adding it to hosts.deny. > > We'll see. > > Josh I routinely clean out the family's PC's of applications that shouldna oughta be there, mostly picked up while surfing or co-installed at the same time as a legitimate program http://www.spywareguide.com/ is a very good resource for identifying and tips on removing unwanted spyware. Basically spyware collects information unseen, unlike a virus which often makes its presence very definitely apparent, and it's possible that your e-mail address is being transmitted to the web by such a program http://www.cexx.org/adware.htm is also worth a look -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 20:26:50 -0500, David VanHorn wrote on Re: [OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again...: >I also get "diet spam" with nothing in the body at all. 8-) A diet is a diet! * @spam@Xrobert.soubieKILLspamfree.frX (veuillez supprimer les "X") * http://www.astrosurf.com/soubie * Au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont mal vus... - P.Dac -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 21:30:23 -0500, Josh Koffman wrote on Re: [OT]: SPAM, SPAM all over again...: >Anyone have any good reccomendations for a spamfilter for a linux >system? I run my own mailserver, and it would be nice if I could install >some easy to maintain system that would work for all my mail accounts. Popfile has linux versions. * KILLspamXrobert.soubieKILLspamfree.frX (veuillez supprimer les "X") * http://www.astrosurf.com/soubie * Au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont mal vus... - P.Dac -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.