Getting Legitimate E-Mails Through Filters Is A Tough Job

Spam and other e-mail threats have advanced from just a nuisance to costly burden for businesses. Research studies show that worldwide organizations suffering from spam incurred costs of US $50 billion in terms of lost productivity, in 2005. By 2006, the economic consequence of computer viruses is expected to be close to $60 billion.

In a situation like this e-mail security is vital in the present time and it incorporates much more than anti-spam and anti-virus filtering. There are other threats like phishing scams that capture corporate passwords to access business networks, other types target straight on the mail server, trying to dig out usernames or e-mail addresses or access control of the mail server.

Scams, which disguise under legitimate company names, can result in those companies being sued by individuals who receive offensive e-mails from their addresses. The companies are also at constant threat of losing corporate secrets or intellectual property.

Paul Graham, an author and programmer said in a seminar that if filtering becomes good enough it will not only block spam but spammers will also actually stop sending it.

A market research firm Ferris Research specializing in e-messaging recently released a study, which says that 20% of e-mails never reach their actual destinations. Users of all major 'Internet Service Providers' complain that their e-mails are being scooped up.

By declaring some spam filters as overly prohibitive the problem is so grave that AOL has started offering a 'spam filter busting certified e-mail' service. Under the plan, which started in early May, e-mails coming from addresses that are approved before hand, completely bypass AOL's spam filters and arrive in recipients' Inboxes without any damage.

E-mail security solutions such as 'IronPort C-Series' and the 'Mirapoint Message Server M-Series' not only save end users' time, but they also deal with other security issues.

With the current consumer behavior and indispensable construction of most junk e-mail filters, the ability of spam filters to kill spam completely seems remote even if spam filters are thoroughly accurate and universally used. In short, we are pressed for time for bullet- proofing legitimate e-mails against the intruders of the Inbox.

Related article: Guidance Software Enters a Settlement With FTC

» SPAMfighter News - 9/2/2006