The fundamental challenge in stopping spam is that the spammers themselves are highly motivated and pretty darn clever. As fast as the techheads find ways to block the stuff, spam authors find ways to sneak their stuff through. Thus, the most effective filters appear to be those that employ a range of blocking techniques.
Take for instance Mailshell, which at $29.99 per user throws a whole panoply of checks at each incoming message. The bulk check: Was this message sent as part of a bulk mailing? The repute check: Do most people want this message? Content check: Would most people find the content offensive? The "spam tricks" check: Is the message formatted or sent in a manner typically intended to bypass anti-spam rules or to be economical for spammers?
Moreover, Mailshell recognizes spam as a moving target and is constantly adjusting its algorithms accordingly. The system continuously collects and analyzes millions of new spam and legitimate messages, and also relies on user feedback to fine-tune the rules and databases.
Mailshell offers integration with both Outlook and Outlook Express via mail client-specific editions, although the OE version consistently crashed our mail client each time we attempted to shut Outlook Express down. Mailshell also offers a universal POP support edition that works with most other desktop email applications as well, including Netscape and Eudora.
All this is good news for business owners trying to boost productivity. Bad news, though, for certain nephews of deposed Nigerian dictators, bored and lonely housewives, debt advisors, weight loss masterminds, parts enlargers, etc.
As our sampling of spam-fighting software shows, there are many ways to combat spam, and while nothing is 100% effective at this point, utilizing the tricks and tools of any of the above clients is certainly better than having to wade through hundreds of spam messages on a daily basis.
