Comments on: Directory Harvesting Attacks Explained: How Spammers are Stealing your Email Directory http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051 Independent Tech News and Product Reviews from former VP and head of CNET.com and Longtime Computer Shopper Columnist, Alice Hill author of the popular "Hard Edge" column. Originally named AliceandBill.com. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:56:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: getelc http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384266 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:32:19 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384266 eltrolgetou eltrolgetou

]]> by: getelc http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384273 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:32:19 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384273 eltrolgetou eltrolgetou

]]> by: getelc http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384265 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 20:31:07 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-384265 eltrolgetou eltrolgetou

]]> by: Yan http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-23855 Thu, 11 May 2006 13:37:40 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-23855 Great tips John, thanks for sharing! Great tips John, thanks for sharing!

]]> by: John Corliss http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-23850 Thu, 11 May 2006 13:14:13 +0000 http://www.realtechnews.com/posts/3051#comment-23850 EGAD! How many times do I have to tell people how to create an email address that can't be hacked? Contact your ISP and have them change your user id into a randomized sequence of alphanumeric characters. For instance: 1. BAD: jcorliss@fakeISP.com 2. GOOD: e34jfu98s@fakeISP.com How hard is that to do? But it's not the last step. If your ISP provides you with server space so you can set up a web page, DON'T DO IT unless the address to that webpage doesn't contain your user ID. Also, tell EVERYBODY in your address book that you don't want chain emails, fraud emails, *E-CARDS* (almost all e-card websites are simply email address harvesting scams) or for them to give your email address to ANYBODY without your permission. If you have any people in your address book who tend to ignore such requests, only provide them with a Yahoo or some other throw-away email address. If you're active in Usenet, be sure to configure your news reader to use a fake email address for posting. Thunderbird will do this, for instance. Of coure, it's common sense that you should only provide your throw-away email address, NEVER your main one, to any government agency or business. Besides, Yahoo does such a good job of filtering spam that I rarely get any in that account anyway. However, if the flood-gates ever do open, I will simply create another account and abandon the old one. These are some *common sense ideas* that have successfully lowered my daily spam rate from about 500 a day to one every other day (a cousin who will remain nameless sent me an e-card and the next time I change my email address, she will only get the Yahoo address.) EGAD! How many times do I have to tell people how to create an email address that can’t be hacked? Contact your ISP and have them change your user id into a randomized sequence of alphanumeric characters. For instance:

1. BAD: jcorliss@fakeISP.com
2. GOOD: e34jfu98s@fakeISP.com

How hard is that to do? But it’s not the last step.

If your ISP provides you with server space so you can set up a web page, DON’T DO IT unless the address to that webpage doesn’t contain your user ID.

Also, tell EVERYBODY in your address book that you don’t want chain emails, fraud emails, *E-CARDS* (almost all e-card websites are simply email address harvesting scams) or for them to give your email address to ANYBODY without your permission. If you have any people in your address book who tend to ignore such requests, only provide them with a Yahoo or some other throw-away email address.

If you’re active in Usenet, be sure to configure your news reader to use a fake email address for posting. Thunderbird will do this, for instance.

Of coure, it’s common sense that you should only provide your throw-away email address, NEVER your main one, to any government agency or business.

Besides, Yahoo does such a good job of filtering spam that I rarely get any in that account anyway. However, if the flood-gates ever do open, I will simply create another account and abandon the old one.

These are some *common sense ideas* that have successfully lowered my daily spam rate from about 500 a day to one every other day (a cousin who will remain nameless sent me an e-card and the next time I change my email address, she will only get the Yahoo address.)

]]>