Learn about spam and antispam software

Checking emails is boring and unproductive. Worse still, you may come across harmful programs. To make sure this doesn’t happen, learn about anti-spam software early.

Understand spam

Spam in the digital world is unsolicited emails sent to customers. The main objective is to advertise a product or service. Many advertisers use spam in the hope of attracting customers to their offers. They want to reach a large target audience to increase the chances of sales. While this isn’t bad, it can still distract email users.

Spam is present all over the web. You’ve probably seen some during instant messaging or online gaming. Some chat room users may post messages not related to the forum or the game. Mobile phone users can also receive spam messages. These are not only irritating, but can also incur additional charges in some countries. Spam is now common on video sharing sites too. You may notice posted messages where you have to click on a particular link to see something. Once you do, you may see a site that has nothing to do with the video you wanted.

Spam messages are mostly harmless. These have no other intention than to attract the attention of the reader. However, over time, many unsolicited emails masquerading as spam evolved into malicious ones. These trick email users into clicking on a particular website. Once the person does, viruses and other dangerous software can accompany him. As these enter a computer system, they can create problems. Some viruses can delete files, while others can replicate and slow down functions.

When this happens, computers may not function properly. If this personal computer is connected to a network, other computers can suffer as well. In a business setting, this can mean losing work hours at best. The owner can also face bills for reprogramming the system.

The role of antispam software

Anti-spam software works with a computer and with email accounts that can be accessed by a workstation. The software will function as a scanner for incoming mail sent to the specific account. It will look for signs that the sent mail is spam.

Many will block possible advertising sent to a recipient. The software will do this regardless of the user’s interest in the posted ad. It can also function as a spam blocker to remove viruses and other deterrents.

By doing all of this, the software avoids problems before it becomes one. It also saves time as the user does not have to guess whether to open an email or not. In a business environment, time saved can mean more work done. Employees and management will only read official business rather than review unrelated messages.

What are false positives for spam blockers?

False positives occur when anti-spam software removes a legitimate message. Many software vendors indicate what their false positive number is. The lower the number, the better, as the spam blocker is less likely to miss valid emails received on a computer.