We are observing growing numbers of users trying to send legitimate email messages only to be blocked because the IP address that they are getting from their Internet Service Provider (ISP) for their personal computer is on some major blacklist, like SpamHaus.  Comcast, for example, has been the focus of many of these issues lately. This message blocking often happens even if a user is sending outbound email through a legitimate email provider like LuxSci.

Users invariably ask:

• Why is the mail blocked even though I am sending through LuxSci or some other email provider and not directly from my ISP?
• What can I do about it?

Fortunately, there is a good reason why the blocks occur and an easy solution to them … with LuxSci’s anonymous SMTP service.

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We have recently seen a significant increase in occurrences where users are getting Spam email messages that appear to come from their own address (i.e. “joe@domain.com” gets a Spam email addressed from “joe@domain.com”).  We discussed this issue tangentially in a previous posting: Bounce Back & BackScatter Spam – “Who Stole My Email Address”? However, many users wonder how this is possible, while others are concerned that their Spam filters are not catching these messages.

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We recently talked about the problems created by backscatter or bounce back spam.  I.e. the pain caused by getting lots of "delivery failure" messages for messages that you never sent, but which arrive at your door anyway. One of the solutions we have provided for dealing with backscatter, if you have this problem, is to create a custom email filter in your LuxSci WebMail interface that will delete or save all bounce messages.  While this works well, it also has a drawback.

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Internet service providers Global Crossing and Hurricane Electric shut down the San Jose, CA, web hosting provider "McColo" on Tuesday after it was determined that the ISP was aiding criminals in the sending of Spam, perpetrating online fraud, and providing access to child pornography.  McColo was used by some of the most active and prolific spammers in the world; the suspension of its services has resulted in a 75% decrease in spam, worldwide!

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A proprietary "Deep Content Analysis" filter has been added to our "Email Defense" Premium Email Filtering solutions. This anti-spam filter targets attachment-based spam variations, specifically PDF spam. PDF spam is the latest generation of image spam, which uses graphics instead of other masking techniques to conceal an unsolicited advertisement’s call to action.

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The following service advancements are being introduced into the Email Defense Premium Email Filtering service:

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