Home | About Spam | About SpamBouncer | Downloads | Configuration | Reference | Resources
What is Spam? | Types of Spam | How Spammers Work | Avoiding Spam | Filtering Spam | Spam Complaints | Fighting Spam | Glossary
Under Construction Under Construction
When this is complete, it will contain explanations of things you can do to avoid being spammed.
If you are using a Windows-based workstation, you need to secure it first before you worry about filtering spam, unfortunately. <wry grin> Otherwise, any spam filters you install will be like the little Dutch boy with his finger in the dike -- desperately holding on and hoping help gets there before the wall collapses and the flood roars over him. Here are the most important things you can do to secure your Windows workstation computer:
CAUTION! Do not skip the steps above. If you don't understand what they say, find someone who does understand and who can help you do them. Windows users (especially those running Windows 2000 and Windows XP) are extremely susceptible to computer viruses and trojans, some of which can turn their computers into spam-sending zombies. If you do not secure your Windows computer, you are very likely to be or quickly become part of the spam problem, whether you know it or not.
Finally, Windows users should install and use a web browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer, and email software other than Microsoft Outlook, if at all possible. Both Internet Explorer and Outlook have significant security holes that spammers and other bad guys can exploit. I recommend Mozilla FireFox as your web browser and Mozilla Thunderbird as your email client. They're not perfect; they have some security holes. However, both are free, both work well, and both are much safer than the Microsoft programs they replace. In addition, Thunderbird has a rather good set of mail filters that might be all you need to handle spam.