2008 Woodie Awards
WSU E-mail Accounts Filling up with SPAM
Phillip Collins // collins.58@wright.edu
Issue date: 4/27/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Student complaints are on the rise about the increased amounts of spam being transferred into several WSU e-mail inboxes. While students are frustrated with all of the advertisements and junk e-mail making its way into their e-mail, they are equally confused about how they get there in the first place.
"I get it everyday," said Claire Mastbaum, a psychology major. "I don't like it. I delete them. They're just a waste of time."
"I know this is a problem for many," associate professor of computer science and engineering Prabhaker Mateti said. "I receive plenty spam myself."
Everything from surveys to ads for Viagra seems to pile up in Wright State student mailboxes, and there are always questions about the increased arrivals and how spammers acquire student e-mail addresses.
"I cannot say how WSU spammers get the addresses, but here is one simple way," said Mateti. He said that the e-mail spam artists can go to www.wright.edu, search for people with just one letter and get several hundred hits. He said, for example, search for students, faculty, or staff with the letter "A" in their name and numerous names come up. "In a few seconds, it all can be automated as a computer script," he said.
This is just one of the many methods that spammers use to compile their lists. According to Mateti, spammers also purchase e-mail addresses from people and organizations that collect certain information.
"Such people and organizations are obviously using several underhanded methods of obtaining the addresses, such as sniffing e-mail messages sent from one server to another server or client, as well as above board methods, such as data mining the Web sites and public message boards for e-mail addresses," said Mateti.
On the other hand, different prevention methods are already being implemented.
"WSU is already filtering out a lot of easy-to-recognize spam," Mateti said. "Spam control is really not something that each individual can do," Mateti said. "There are spam filtering controls on all well-known mail clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and kmail," he said. "But this is after you already received spam."
As for spammer acquisition of Wright State e-mail addresses, Mateti said that this is preventable. "One simple thing people should do is, instead of listing their e-mail address on their Web site as, for example, prabhaker.mateti@wright.edu, they should write it as prabhakerDOTmatetiATwrightDOTedu," he said. "At least until the e-mail collection programs get wise to it," he said.
In some cases, WSU itself may be one of the biggest culprits of spamming. Nicholas Trudics, a philosophy major, said, "The only problem I have with spam is Wright State spam," he said. "They send me stuff I didn't ask for and annoying updates."
Ron Culligan, a religion major, agrees. "My biggest problem is the Raiders singles e-mail," he said. "I wish they knew I was engaged."
"I get it everyday," said Claire Mastbaum, a psychology major. "I don't like it. I delete them. They're just a waste of time."
"I know this is a problem for many," associate professor of computer science and engineering Prabhaker Mateti said. "I receive plenty spam myself."
Everything from surveys to ads for Viagra seems to pile up in Wright State student mailboxes, and there are always questions about the increased arrivals and how spammers acquire student e-mail addresses.
"I cannot say how WSU spammers get the addresses, but here is one simple way," said Mateti. He said that the e-mail spam artists can go to www.wright.edu, search for people with just one letter and get several hundred hits. He said, for example, search for students, faculty, or staff with the letter "A" in their name and numerous names come up. "In a few seconds, it all can be automated as a computer script," he said.
This is just one of the many methods that spammers use to compile their lists. According to Mateti, spammers also purchase e-mail addresses from people and organizations that collect certain information.
"Such people and organizations are obviously using several underhanded methods of obtaining the addresses, such as sniffing e-mail messages sent from one server to another server or client, as well as above board methods, such as data mining the Web sites and public message boards for e-mail addresses," said Mateti.
On the other hand, different prevention methods are already being implemented.
"WSU is already filtering out a lot of easy-to-recognize spam," Mateti said. "Spam control is really not something that each individual can do," Mateti said. "There are spam filtering controls on all well-known mail clients such as Outlook, Thunderbird, and kmail," he said. "But this is after you already received spam."
As for spammer acquisition of Wright State e-mail addresses, Mateti said that this is preventable. "One simple thing people should do is, instead of listing their e-mail address on their Web site as, for example, prabhaker.mateti@wright.edu, they should write it as prabhakerDOTmatetiATwrightDOTedu," he said. "At least until the e-mail collection programs get wise to it," he said.
In some cases, WSU itself may be one of the biggest culprits of spamming. Nicholas Trudics, a philosophy major, said, "The only problem I have with spam is Wright State spam," he said. "They send me stuff I didn't ask for and annoying updates."
Ron Culligan, a religion major, agrees. "My biggest problem is the Raiders singles e-mail," he said. "I wish they knew I was engaged."
