A database launched by Spamhaus.org in 2000 to track the largest spammers on the
Internet (
http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/
).
A spam blacklist created by Spamhaus.org in 2001, based in part on data from Rokso
(
http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/
).
An America Online subscriber's username. Also used to refer to any alias used by an
Internet user.
An email account created by a spammer and added to mailing lists to test whether a
run of junk emails is successfully delivered and is not blocked by an ISP's
filters.
A technical specification designed to address the problem of email forgery and
domain spoofing. Sender ID is backed by Microsoft and other high-tech companies and is
currently being considered for implementation as an Internet standard.
A feature available on many mobile phones that allows text messages of up to 160
characters to be sent and received via the cell phone provider's message center to a
subscriber's mobile phone, or from the Internet, using an SMS gateway web site.
A secondary screen name secretly used by an individual during online discussions to
support his position in an argument. Spammers are often accused of creating sock puppets
to defend their actions on newsgroups such as Nanae.
One of the leading anti-spam web sites launched in 1999 by Steve Linford. The term
is also generically used to describe an ISP or other company responsible for spam
(
http://www.spamhaus.org/
).
An email address set up by a spam fighter to capture unsolicited email ads for the
purpose of tracking spammers.
A software program designed to send junk email.
To advertise something via spam.
A mysterious spam blacklist launched in 2001 by a team of anonymous individuals
(
http://www.spews.org/
).
A technical specification designed to combat email forgery. SPF is designed to make
spammers send mail from their real domains instead of hijacking the accounts of innocent
users. The technology forms part of the basis of a proposed Internet standard called
Sender ID.
A spammer who hires affiliates to send email ads on a commission basis.
To alter the "From" line of an email message so that it appears to come from someone
other than the actual sender.
A digital telephone line capable of carrying data at one and a half megabits per
second in both directions.
The rules governing use of an Internet service.
Refers to a computer that has been compromised by attackers and can be used, without
the owner's authorization, to send spam or perform other actions.
Someone who creates newsgroup postings designed to spark a flame war or otherwise
create controversy.
Unsolicited commercial email, or spam.
A computer operating system originally developed at Bell Labs in the 1970s. Today, a
variant of Unix called Linux is preferred by many computer aficionados over Microsoft's
Windows operating system. Unix-based software runs on the majority of Internet
servers.
The address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web.
http://www.oreilly.com
is one example of a URL.
The official sanctioning body for over-the-board chess tournament play in the U.S.,
with over 90,000 members (
http://www.uschess.org/
).
A worldwide bulletin board system that can be accessed through the Internet or
through many online services. The Usenet contains thousands of forums, called
newsgroups, which cover every imaginable interest group.
The name subscribers use to sign on to the Internet. The username is also the name
that appears to the left of the ampersand (@) in an email address.
A return address on a spam message that represents an actual email account
controlled by the spammer.
Refers to a list of email addresses or proxies that has been checked to ensure that
its contents are valid.
An Internet service that enables users to query the ownership records of domains
(
http://www.whois.org/
).
A list of email or IP addresses from which an individual or service wishes to
receive email.
An anti-spam blacklist launched by Spamhaus.org in 2003 to combat the increasing use
by spammers of Trojaned computers and proxies (
http://www.spamhaus.org/xbl/
).
A compromised computer controlled by a malicious attacker for the purpose of
performing a denial-of-service attack on other systems.
For more online definitions of spam-related terminology, refer to "The Spam
Glossary," by Ed Falk (
http://www.rahul.net/falk/glossaryzombieglossaryXBL (Exploits Block List)glossaryverifiedglossary.html
), and "The Net Abuse Jargon File," by Andrew Nellis (
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/ip/freenet/subs/complaints/spam/jargon.txt
).
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