We don't have to tell you that unsolicited commercial email, or spam, is completely out of control. Most of us receive hundreds of messages a day pimping porn, Nigerian largesse, get-rich-quick schemes, and the enlargement of body parts — it's killing productivity all over the country. Nucleus Research reported in June that spam cost U.S. enterprises an average of $1,934 per employee in lost productivity over the past 10 months, versus $874 per employee for the same period in 2003.
Looking for a solution? Here are some of the hottest spam filters currently available, each of which brings to the table a different collection of tools for attacking and eliminating unwanted email.
SpamKiller
A longtime leader in computer rescue and security products, McAfee has drawn considerable acclaim with its $39.95 SpamKiller product. In this case (as opposed to Qurb's whitelist model), the approach is focused more on filtering out the bad rather than allowing in the good. SpamKiller relies on comprehensive industry lists of known spammers to ensure their messages are blocked. The software can also filter based on the subject line, body text, message header, or even country of origin. SpamKiller additionally allows users to create custom filters based on spam messages received.
The downside to filter-based spam fighting is that spammers of course know all the tricks. As fast as filters have been created, spammers have historically found ways to mask their addresses, tweak their content, or otherwise flaunt the blockade.
McAfee, like many others, runs a hard race in order to keep up with the spammers' shifting tactics. Specifically, SpamKiller checks in with McAfee's servers once a day in order to keep its filters up to date. Daily updates may seem onerous, but it's McAfee that does the heavy lifting — the update process is effectively transparent to the user and is essential in maintaining one of the highest anti-spam accuracy rates currently available.
SpamKiller offers integration with Outlook and Outlook Express, but it's not limited to these two mail clients. McAfee SpamKiller offers support for most mail clients and works with POP3 and IMAP mailboxes, as well as MSN Hotmail accounts.
The SpamKiller interface is richer than that of Norton AntiSpam, its closest competitor, offering quick and intuitive access to quarantined messages, approved senders, anti-spam settings, and a summary screen with helpful spam-fighting information. The summary screen includes information about the total number of messages blocked, a listing of the most recent blocked messages, and an overview of e-mail stats, including a pie chart that displays the types of spam received by percentage.
As with Norton AntiSpam, SpamKiller can be purchased as part of a larger security solution — in this case the $70 McAfee Internet Security Suite, which bundles McAfee's VirusScan, Personal Firewall, and Privacy Service solutions in addition to SpamKiller.
Pros: Filters keep out spam with astonishing accuracy, integration with Outlook and Outlook Express (but doesn't require the programs in order to run), can be integrated with complete McAfee security suite
Cons: Evolving spammer techniques mean McAfee (and the user) will have to remain vigilant with its updates, doesn't integrate with Outlook/Outlook Express as well as some competing clients like Cloudmark SpamNet and Mailshell
