Bounced Email Spam - 3rd Quarter 2007

We have survived the summer heatwave in Atlanta. On behalf of our hard working web and emails servers, I’d like to personally thank Willis Haviland Carrier for inventing modern air conditioning. I can always jump in the pool or lake, but the computers demand A/C.

We’ve had several questions lately from our clients about receiving bounced emails that they appear to have sent, but didn’t. In this quarter’s ClearPoint, we will describe what is happening and why. Instead of teasing you with a solution that will be found later in this news broadcast, I’ll give it up now. Nope, there’s really not much you can do to fix it. But you already knew that didn’t you?

Enjoy this quarter’s article knowing that it has been painstakingly certified to be 100% free from Michael Vick references.

Bounced Email Spam

Does this sound familiar?

You are sitting down with your coffee for your morning spam deleting ritual when you notice a bunch of bounced email messages. The messages appear to have been sent by you, but you don’t know that many people’s email addresses and certainly wouldn’t be pushing male organ drugs on them if you did.

Bounced Email When you send an email to an email address that doesn’t exist, you get a return email notification letting you know your message was not delivered. It is kind of like the recording you get when dialing a phone number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. That return notification is referred to as a “bounced email” message.

Mixed in with the bounced emails, which could number in the hundreds and possibly thousands, you get hateful messages from upset users and disconnection warnings from your Internet provider. You didn’t send any of the emails that bounced and can’t believe that you, the most conscientious of netizens, are being falsely accused.

So why is this happening to you? And don’t give up reading now because if this hasn’t happened to you yet, stay tuned, it probably will. You are, or will soon be, a victim of email spammers.

Why Do Spammers Do That? You may be wondering why in the world a spammer would send out email as if it came from you. What could they possibly gain? If the spammed user replies to the email, it would go to you and not the spammer. Well, the spammer is trying to get the recipient to click on the website link found somewhere in the email. Using your email address allows them to keep their identity hidden. It is true that sometimes there are no links in the email, but those are most likely mistakes or spamming software gone out of control.

How Can They Send Email As Me?
I Don’t See That Option In Outlook!

The spammers do not use Outlook. Many email programs, including the one I use, allow you to put anything you want as the “From:” address. Much like you can put anything you want for the return address on an envelope.

I know what you are thinking, the envelope will have a postmark on it identifying the city of origin. What about the spam emails?

While it is true that we could narrow down the origin of spam according to the electronic equivalent of a postmark, the spammers have found a way around that. They send spam from hijacked computers. That gives them tremendous combined computing power, hi-speed Internet connections, and anonymity…for FREE!

Ever Thought Of This? I wonder if a spammer’s email address has ever been used as the from address for a spam sent by a different spammer. That would be true justice for a spammer to get kicked off their network for a spam they didn’t commit.

What Can We Do?

Spam filters normally just delete (or quarantine) emails that are identified as spam. Some spam filters allow you to send a bounced email message to any email identified as spam instead. They claim that you can “stick it to the spammers” by overloading them with bounced email messages.

You should now realize that this won’t work. The spammers are not dumb enough to use their own email address. Thus, the bounces will only fill up the victim’s email account with bounced messages. This clearly adds to the spam problem by creating a vicious circle.

One saving grace is that spammers typically only use your email address for a few hours and then move on to another. This minimizes the chances that someone will be angered into action and try to hunt them down. Sometimes I will get 1000-2000 bounced email spams in half of a day, then it stops. Those are the days I have to take some finger stretching breaks when reading/deleting email.

The best protection from the Internet requires wire snips and a hammer. Cut your wired Internet connection with the wire snips and smash your wireless cards and routers with the hammer. Short of that, and yes I’m going to repeat myself from a previous article, make sure your computer is not infected and being used by spammers. Chances are if you or your company has all the protection goodies like firewalls and virus protection programs, you are fine.

Conclusion

Spam continues to get worse. Bounced emails from spams are proof of that. Spammers are even starting to send out emails that look like bounced email notifications in hopes that some might open them and click on a link. At least now you know what is going on. Oh and even though I am from Atlanta receiving minute-by-minute updates on Vick…I can refrain.

Filed by nb on September 28th, 2007 under ClearPoint