Checking email can be such a headache thanks to the fact that most email turns out to be
unwanted junk from who knows who. SPAM is preventable along with email viruses that come thru your inbox. Over time,
if SPAM Assassin is used religiously most spam won't reoccur.
SPAM Assassin is an email reader. After reading thru your emails, deleting the ones you don't
need and bouncing/deleting the spam, SPAM Assassin will open your email client (e.g. Outlook)!! So first thing is delete all
shortcuts to your email client so only the shortcuts to SPAM Assassin remains. This way when the need to check email arises,
SPAM Assassin will be your first line of defense against viruses and spam. Don't ever open your email client first. If you do you
might as well uninstall SPAM Assassin because you will undoubtedly be downloading all sorts of virus.
First step is download and install SPAM Assassin here.
Fig 1 shows SPAM Assassins simple look and feel.
Once installed add all your email accounts. You need to enter email address, login, password,
smtp, and pop3. Check the checkboxes "Remember password" and "Include this mail account in default mail check".
From the menu click Tools->Options. Set the options. Most important is showing the email attachments column.
Fig 2. Configure Options Exactly as shown.
Now check email by clicking "Check Mail" button. While sing praises to SPAM Assassin, lets see how SPAM
Assassin prevents both spam and viruses (that come thru email).
How SPAM is Prevented
SPAM Assassin is a Windows shareware application which is downloaded
and installed. SPAM Assassin is more important than anti-virus software because it stops
emails carrying viruses at the server so it never touches your PC.
Fig 1. Visualization of how SPAM Works
Always remember to open SPAM
Assassin BEFORE your email client. Afterwards SPAM Assassin automatically opens your email
client. Your email client then downloads the remaining emails off the server.
The first line of Fig 1 shows an obvious SPAM. Even if this email doesn't contain an attachment it is still dangerous.
All SPAM should be deleted before opening your email client. Notice the first line of Fig 1 has the checkboxes
"Delete" and "Bounce" checked. "Delete" means delete the email off the server. "Bounce" means send an email
back to whoever sent me that email. The "Bounced Email" will contain this error "550 <[your email address]>... User unknown".
If the spammer isn't a complete idiot then over time they will delete your email address out of their database because
they will believe your email account does not exist!! Once the spam and unwanted emails have been checked click
"process mail" button. Then click "Mail Program" to open your email client. Only the good email,
the ones you want will be downloaded into your inbox. This is in stark contrast to server-side anti-spam software
which sometimes deletes the emails you want. Starting to see why SPAM Assassin is the only and best solution to spam.
Preventing Viruses
Remember while setting options, we made sure the "attachment" column is shown. If not go to the option screen
and do it now. Any emails that have attachments are potential viruses. All of them escpecially the ones from your
friends. Lets pretend the email, the first line of Fig 1, contains a nasty virus. We need to be able to see if it is a
virus or not. We need to check each and every attachment. To read the email double click the first line of Fig 1.
The email will appear. Now there is a a magical wonderful pretty checkbox "Display full header and message source".
Check that checkbox to see the entire email. Remember this needs to be done only for emails with attachments.
Hey words can't hurt you, but MSWords can. Look for blocks of ugly numbers and text that looks like this....
Notice the line "Content-Type: image/gif;" this is the type of attachment. In this case,
this file is an image. But if you see any of these file types "delete and bounce" the email immediately.
.zip (maybe java virus)
.doc, .xls, .ppt (maybe macro virus)
.dat, .com, .exe, .vbs (definitely a virus)
Sample Bounced Email
Return-Path: <MAILER-DAEMON@inkanshoumei.com>
Received: from random.host.name (p3049-adsah09honb5-acca.tokyo.ocn.ne.jp [218.43.75.177])
by orion.host4u.net (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id h07DNmr11632
for <dave@inkanshoumei.com>; Tue, 7 Jan 2003 07:23:48 -0600
Date: Tue, 7 1 2003 22:27:58 +0900
From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <MAILER-DAEMON@inkanshoumei.com>
Message-Id: <200301072227.QXF30240@mx1.inkanshoumei.com>
To: <dave@inkanshoumei.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/report; report-type=delivery-status;
boundary="QXF30240.1041897600/mx1.inkanshoumei.com"
Subject: Returned mail: User unknown
Auto-Submitted: auto-generated (failure)
Status: O
This is a MIME-encapsulated message
--QXF30240.1041897600/mx1.inkanshoumei.com
The original message was received at Tue, 7 1 2003 22:27:58 +0900
from p3049-adsah09honb5-acca.tokyo.ocn.ne.jp [218.43.75.177]
----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----
<dave@inkanshoumei.com>
(expanded from: <dave@inkanshoumei.com>)
----- Transcript of session follows -----
mail.local: unknown name: dave
550 <dave@inkanshoumei.com>... User unknown
Return-Path: <dave@inkanshoumei.com>
Received: from dave (p3049-adsah09honb5-acca.tokyo.ocn.ne.jp [218.43.75.177])
by orion.host4u.net (8.11.6/8.11.6) with SMTP id h07DNSr11604
for <dave@inkanshoumei.com>; Tue, 7 Jan 2003 07:23:29 -0600
Message-ID: <000b01c2b650$8d043fa0$7e7ba8c0@dave>
From: "dave" <dave@inkanshoumei.com>
To: "Dave dave" <dave@inkanshoumei.com>
Subject: email to be bounced
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2003 22:27:37 +0900
Organization: Global Business Resources Corporation
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0007_01C2B69B.FBBF4E80"
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200
Status:
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<html><head>
<meta content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-2022-jp" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<meta content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
--QXF30240.1041897600/mx1.inkanshoumei.com--
The above email was sent by myself to myself, and then I bounced and deleted the email
using SPAM Assassin. The "rejected Email notification" is shown above with relevent text
highlighted in red. "dave" marks are used to disguise the email address. Don't want web
bots scanning the email address off this article. Just a little precaution.
Mass Marketers send out alot of email. When they receive a returned email, like the one
above, the smart ones [small cough here] delete your email address from their list.
Whereas if you asked them to delete you from their SPAM list they'd sign you up for more SPAM.
