Anti-spam
Anti-spam refers to technologies, strategies, and measures designed to prevent or reduce the delivery of unsolicited and often unwanted communications, typically in the form of emails. Spam can include promotional content, phishing attempts, and other types of unwanted or potentially harmful messages. Key components of anti-spam efforts include: 1. **Filters:** Anti-spam software uses algorithms to identify and filter out spam emails based on various criteria, including sender reputation, content analysis, and user-defined rules.
Botnets
A **botnet** is a network of compromised computers or devices that are controlled remotely by a cybercriminal, often without the knowledge of the device owners. The term "bot" refers to the individual devices (also known as "bots," "zombies," or "clients") that are infected with malicious software (malware) and can execute commands from the attacker.
Spammers
Spammers are individuals or organizations that send unsolicited and often irrelevant messages, typically through email, but also through other digital communication channels like social media, messaging apps, and online comments. Their primary purpose is usually to promote products, services, or scams, often with the intent of generating revenue or gathering personal information from recipients.
Web scraping
Web scraping is the automated process of extracting data from websites. It involves fetching the web pages of a website and then parsing the content to retrieve specific information. This process can be used for a variety of purposes, such as data analysis, research, market intelligence, price monitoring, and more.
2021 FBI email hack
The 2021 FBI email hack refers to a cybersecurity incident that occurred in November 2021, involving the compromise of an FBI email system used for sending alerts and notifications. Hackers exploited a vulnerability in the system to send out a large number of bogus emails, warning recipients of a supposed cybercrime linked to a fictitious ongoing attack. The emails, which appeared to come from the FBI's "june@ic.fbi.
419eater.com
419eater.com is a website dedicated to raising awareness about 419 scams, which are fraudulent schemes often involving advance-fee fraud, typically originating from individuals claiming to offer large sums of money in exchange for help with transferring funds. The site primarily features discussions, resources, and tools for individuals to recognize and combat these scams.
Advance-fee scam
An advance-fee scam is a type of financial fraud where the scammer asks the victim to pay money upfront in order to receive a larger sum of money or a promised benefit later. These scams often involve a con artist posing as a legitimate entity or individual, such as a banker, government official, or wealthy foreigner, and they typically promise the victim a substantial return for a minimal initial investment.
Advertising mail
Advertising mail, also known as direct mail advertising or promotional mail, refers to any type of mail that is sent to potential customers primarily for the purpose of advertising or promoting products, services, or brands. It typically includes items such as brochures, catalogs, postcards, flyers, and promotional letters. The key characteristics of advertising mail include: 1. **Targeted Distribution**: Advertising mail is often sent to a specific audience based on demographics, interests, or purchasing behavior.
Alureon
Alureon, also known as TDSS, is a type of rootkit malware that primarily targets Windows operating systems. It is known for its stealthy behavior, allowing it to hide its presence on infected systems and evade detection by traditional antivirus software. Alureon is often used to facilitate other malicious activities, such as downloading additional malware, stealing sensitive information, and redirecting web traffic to fraudulent sites.
Anti-Phishing Working Group
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is an international organization that focuses on combating phishing and other forms of online fraud. Established in 2003, the APWG brings together various stakeholders, including technology companies, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and academic researchers, to collaborate on countering phishing attacks and associated online threats.
Anti-Spam Research Group
The Anti-Spam Research Group (ASRG) is an organization focused on the study and dissemination of research related to spam and anti-spam technologies. It is typically made up of researchers, industry experts, and individuals interested in combating spam, which is the unsolicited and often unwanted electronic communication that clutters email inboxes and other messaging systems. The group works to address the challenges posed by spam through collaboration, sharing findings, and providing solutions that can help improve filtering techniques and overall email security.
Anti-spam appliances
Anti-spam appliances are specialized hardware devices or software solutions designed to detect, filter, and block unwanted or malicious email messages commonly known as spam. These appliances are used by organizations to protect their email systems from the various threats posed by spam, including phishing attacks, malware distribution, and unsolicited advertisements.
Anti-spam techniques
Anti-spam techniques are methods and technologies used to prevent, filter, and manage unsolicited and unwanted messages, typically in the context of email but also applicable to other forms of communication such as instant messaging, social media, and comments on websites. Here are some common anti-spam techniques: 1. **Content Filtering**: Analyzing the content of messages for specific keywords, phrases, or patterns commonly associated with spam.
Apache SpamAssassin
Apache SpamAssassin is an open-source software platform designed to filter and predict spam email. It uses a variety of techniques, including text analysis, statistical analysis, and machine learning, to assess whether an email is likely to be spam. Here are some key features and aspects of SpamAssassin: 1. **Rule-Based Filtering**: SpamAssassin employs a wide range of predefined and user-defined rules to evaluate incoming messages.
Asprox botnet
Asprox is a type of botnet that primarily focuses on distributing malware and spam, often through the use of compromised computers. Initially identified around 2009, the Asprox botnet has been linked to various types of malicious activities, including the distribution of spam emails that may carry phishing attacks or other types of malware.
Automated whitelist
An **automated whitelist** refers to a system or process in cybersecurity or networking that automatically manages a list of approved entities, such as IP addresses, email addresses, domain names, or applications. Whitelisting is a security practice that allows only specified entities to access a network, application, or system while blocking everything else. ### Key Features of Automated Whitelists: 1. **Dynamic Updates**: Automated whitelists can adjust automatically based on predefined rules or criteria.
Backscatter (email)
Backscatter in the context of email refers to the phenomenon where a server incorrectly generates bounce messages for emails that were not originally sent by the user. This typically occurs in scenarios involving spam or forged sender addresses. Here’s how it usually happens: 1. **Spam Emails**: A spammer sends emails that spoof the "From" address, making it appear as though the emails are sent from a legitimate user’s email address.
Bagle (computer worm)
Bagle is a family of computer worms that emerged in the early 2000s, primarily known for its ability to spread through email attachments and its use of social engineering tactics to trick users into executing the malicious code. The first variant, Bagle.A, was discovered in January 2004. Key characteristics of Bagle include: 1. **Propagation**: Bagle spreads via emails with infected attachments, often disguised as important documents or software.
Black money scam
A "black money scam" typically refers to fraudulent schemes that involve illicit funds or activities aimed at concealing the true origin of money. The term can encompass various types of scams where perpetrators claim to convert or launder "black money" (money obtained through illegal means, such as drug trafficking, corruption, or tax evasion) into "white money" (legitimate, taxable income).
Blacklisting
Blacklisting is the act of creating a list of entities—such as individuals, organizations, or IP addresses—that are to be denied access, privileges, or services due to past behaviors or activities deemed undesirable or unacceptable. This can occur in various contexts: 1. **IT and Cybersecurity**: In computing, blacklisting refers to the practice of blocking access to specific websites, email addresses, or software applications that are considered harmful, malicious, or untrustworthy.