Spam

Q:What is SPAM (unsolicited email)?
SPAM is an early Internet term for any email that is commercial in intent and unsolicited by the recipient. Just like junk mail senders and telemarketers, there are many individuals and companies that specialize in sending bulk mail SPAM to as many potential recipients as possible. Since the cost of SPAM is so low, if even only a few people respond, the expense of bulk emailing will be negligible.

Q:Whats being done to stop SPAM?
Believe it or not, there are federal laws governing the use of unsolicited email. Senders are supposed to clearly identify themselves, include a disclaimer about the solicitation, and provide a means of removing the recipient from any further mailings. As many of you may have noticed, many bulk mail senders fail to meet these obligations. All too often, the return email address is forged and there is no way to remove yourself from the list. In fact, responding with REMOVE requests usually results in more receiving more SPAM. Enforcing SPAM laws is very difficult due to the anonymous nature of the Internet and its global reach. Most SPAM is actually sent from Asian and African nations that do not have SPAM laws or have lax enforcement. Some states have stronger anti-SPAM laws and Congress is currently considering stronger penalties for unsolicited email, but enforcement will remain a difficult task.

Q:Whats being done at Augsburg to stop SPAM?
Stopping unwanted email at our email server is akin to stopping junk mail at the post office. Were constantly looking for ways to block SPAM, but the most aggressive methods will often reject legitimate email as well. It is our belief that not receiving a legitimate email is many times worse than being unable to block some unsolicited bulk email. Since there is no controlling authority over the Internet, the connections and communications between people, organizations, and companies on the Internet are based entirely on trust. When we receive an email that says it from AOL, we trust that it really was sent from AOL. Since no one says that they send SPAM, we cant simply block their emails. We monitor our email system to identify certain addresses and computers that may be sending us large amounts of unsolicited email. In most cases, we are able to stop them. Its much more difficult to identify unsolicited email that is only being sent to a few Augsburg email addresses. We do not monitor the contents of email passing in or out of Augsburg, so we can not block emails that might contain offensive material. Our task is also made more difficult because bulk mail senders often change their email address, if theyre not forged, as well as use different computers to send the emails. So, even if weve successfully blocked one sender, they might make a couple of changes and be able to send unsolicited email to Augsburg again.

As we investigate and implement new methods to block unsolicited email, well keep the campus community informed of our progress.

Q:Does anyone at Augsburg ever send SPAM?
No, our Acceptable Use Policy expressly forbids the sending of bulk unsolicited email from an Augsburg account. We strictly monitor and enforce this policy and violators are subject to the terms of the AUP. There have not been any significant violations of this policy.

Q:If thats true, why have I received SPAM from Augsburg email addresses?
In much the same way anyone could write an incorrect return address on an envelope, forging a return email address is very trivial. Many bulk email senders forge the return email address to fool recipients into receiving and opening their email. Just as junk mail letters promise untold millions, email that appears legitimate or beneficial is more likely to be read. When we find unsolicited email senders forging our addresses, we do our best to block them and prevent them from using our addresses again.

Q:Why is it so easy to forge email?
When an email is sent, surprisingly very little information is attached to it as it leaves the server. The sending server stamps the email with the reported sender, the time and date it was sent, and where the email was relayed. It places this information in the email header, which is normally not visible. Although the sending server includes this information, it does not verify it. When an email arrives, the receiving server stamps it with the arrival date and time and places it in the recipients email inbox. The receiving server does not verify any of the information in the email or its header. Since the information in an email is never verified, the sender of an email can easily change or alter the contents of the email header and make the email appear to be from someone else or from somewhere else. We therefore cannot tell a forged email from a legitimate email and we must accept all email

Q:Are there any web resources about SPAM and email forgery?
Yes, please check out the following articles:
Why SPAM is Increasing
Email Forgery

Q:I have some more questions, who should I contact?
If you are student, please contact Student Computing. If you are member of the faculty or staff, please contact your Liasion for Computing