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Third party Anti-Spam tools

OK, I am reasonally happy with my copy of SpamEater Pro but it's not perfect as I find it unbearably slow. I have sent them my suggestions which there are considering, but meanwhile, here's my wishlist for a near perfect tool, (a number of which SpamEater supports already):

• Processes the mail at the mail server - before you retrieve them with your email software.
• Comprehensive selection of trusted Blackhole block lists (with option to toggle on/off individually)
• Option of block any country code or domain type. *.biz and *.us for example
• Whitelist option (which precedes any blocks)
• Option to recover false positives
• Extensive sort options:
        List by Subject: etc as normal
        Extented To / From by Name, entry, domain AND true IP from
        ie From:Emma Spam or emma@spam.com or simply spam.com AND 69.6.16.107
        IP From: (faster to find ranges to block)
• Actions to be based on full selection, covering From:, To: Body: and ESPECIALLY to act on IP ranges
• Action options:
        Tags as Spam and moves another folder
        Bounce, Forward, Report, and/ or Delete on sight!
• Report Spam options to fight back...
        Get raw message and header and send a copy to the FTC and to whatever ISP(s) have been abused
• Whois option, or at least comprehensive links to whois servers
• .
• Windows desk, but ported to Linux / Unix too
• .
• Ideally corporate options for Windows, Unix and Linux servers, or at least to follow

Basically, I have peaks of over a 1,000 Spam a day in my families mailbox and I'm be damned before I'll give up our domain for a bunch of crooks and parasites.

Fast forward a year to 2004 and I now get an estimated 1,000 Spam AN HOUR. I still cling on to my email address, but it's reduced to whitelist only.

Anyway, here's want I want to do:

Check & View:
Oh look: YoDude@27.bluerocketonline from ip: 69.6.16.102
Bounce, Report to FTC, Delete.
(Preferably automatically for these b's)

If there's something out there that does that, please do tell. If we have a reasonably priced idiot proof mail filter - that reports the beggers - they will soon run out of ISP's and places to hide.

Spamotomy

Spamotomy is an interesting site to visit.
Lots of news items and links to 149 (or more) anti-spam related products, a number of which are reviewed.

I currently use SpamEater Pro

OK, I actually use procmail filters I write for the mail server, but this catches the few that make it past.

SpamEater Pro - By High Mountain Software

Reading through it, this seems to meet most of the requirements I'm looking for. Plus there's a 30 day trial available. I'll have to give it a go.

Well, that was a mixed start. It has an impressive range of filters, only missing a one or two Spammers, though in it's defence it did flag them for content. Against it, it let through five messages I specifically blocked, including one of the Florida email validators, but that only happens once with blocked messages and they can be deleted before they reach the desktop. More to do with me learning the package really

There should be a link to launch your email program though. The only other faults I've found is it can take ages to get your mail down, especially if you get the amount I do. I suspect though the Norton AV scanning in conjunction with it adds to the toll. Rather be safe than sorry mind. Addenda: A minor update fixed this a while back, but it it still almost unbearably slow for me.

Finally, when first loading, it crashes up to five times in a row, which I suspect has something to do with me connecting over a LAN. I'll have to look into it. Microsoft have put it down to a driver conflict, but I've yet to figure out which device is the culprit.

Overall, I'm going to look at a few more first before I make a final decision, but despite a few misgivings this is still the best I've seen yet. The filters are set extremely high by default so I took collateral damage from wanted mail while training, but I've seeing less than half a dozen Spam a week reaching the desktop with it. (Down from hundreds a day) Bliss!
I highly recommend you try this first!

*** After trying a few more apps, I rushed off and registered this!

Note:
Using this, albeit with a massive boost from my own filters, I haven't had a virus or Spam message reach my desktop in nearly a year!

Spam filtering tools and software

• Active Spam Killer
  
  
• Avirmail - Freeware. Give a try
  
  
• BlockAllSpam
  We provide email hosting services to ISP's looking for a solution to spam and virus problems. They used to have a 30 day home user trial available which was also available in enterprise versions. Yes that product has gone
  
  
• Ciphertrust - Enterprise email security
  
  
• DyanComm's i:mail - By Futuresoft
  More for corporates. 15 day trial available.
  
  
• GFi MailEssentials
  Anti-Spam and email management for Microsoft Exchange Server
  60 day trial available. When I get a minute I'll set up an Exchange Server and give it a run.
  
  
• I Hate Spam - by Sunbelt Software
  PC World Magazine just compared the anti-spam market leaders. They rated iHateSpam for Outlook as #1 with a whopping 4.5 Stars and awarded it the PC World BEST BUY Award with 98 percent spam caught. And in June 2003, they gave it their exclusive World Class 2003 Award: it is the best anti-spam tool of the year, and the best selling anti-spam add-in for Outlook.
  30 day trial available.
  
  
• Mail Washer Pro
  

  You can run a 30 day trial too.
  It took me about two hours to decide I like this one a lot. It's similar in a way to McAfee's Spam killer, but cheaper (no annual fees) - only it's easier and far more intuitive to use. I'll look at a few more before I finally make up my recommendation. I was going to fully recommend it until it blacklisted a few of my newsletters.
  
  Basically it's a 'get the headers see what you want to keep' affair but you get the option to block, delete and/or bounce the messages and can filter either words or domains like *@*.wespamyou.com or even @*.ru and block all the rubbish from Russia.

• From a forum visitor:
  You can add one more anti-spam soft to your collection - K9. It works great for me (overall accuracy 98.99 % for now )
  
  
• McAfee's Spam Killer
  

  I rather liked this one, last I tried it.   PC World awarded it 'Best buy'.
  If I recall there was a 30 day trial when it first come out, but not anymore.
  If you are quick, one's a trial on the cover CD of Computer Shopper #226...
  Note:
  Bought the magazine, installed the software, took it off a minute later!!!
  Compared to SpamEater Pro, listed below, it's utter rubbish. One to avoid.

  
  
• 0Spam

  0Spam.com is a free, virtually 100% effective anti-spam service designed for POP E-mail accounts and now works with Yahoo and Hotmail accounts. Unlike other anti-spam services that use filters which don't filter out all the spam and even filter out non-spam, 0Spam.com uses a whitelisting technique that safely removes spam from one or more inboxes. 0Spam.com is not a software program, nothing to download or install, and there is no need to change the way your E-mail accounts are currently setup. Once you have joined 0Spam.com and configured your E-mail accounts, nothing more is required on your part, just sit back and read your clean, spam-free E-mail.

  
  
• Qurb
  
  
  
• 
  
  Symantec's Norton AntiSpam
  
  If I'd known this was so close I might have hung fire buying SpamEater Pro as I have the greatest respect for Symantec's products. Maybe next year, have to see what the reviews say. I'll probably buy it just to test it
  
  
  
  
  
• Spam Arrest
  Not looked too closely at it. Taking a glance, it moves your email to their server and does the filtering there. Not for me, but there is a 30 day trial if you wanted to have a go.
  
  
• SpamBeyes
  An open source (free) plugin for MS Outlook (not Outlook Express though).
  Not looked too closely at it as I'm happy with SpamEater Pro, but Chris Pirelli of Lockergnome rates it.
  
  
• Spam Buster
  Trial version available for download
  First time I ran this is marked everything for deletion, which was a major no-no. Also, there is no sort facility for the messages. I won't be using it myself.
  
  
• Surf Control
  30 day trial available.
  
  
• Spampal
  Freeware. Give it a try
  
  
• Spam Cop - Recommended to visit!
  There's an online utility to help you trace and report Spammers, including those who spoof your address for their dirty deeds.
  There's also trial software for their own anti-spam.
  Nov 21st 2003: spamcop.net was officially sold to IronPort Systems. Beyond a change of ownership there are no otherchanges beyond more staff and resources to enable spamcop to continue doing the good work they do.
  
  
• Spamilator
  I haven't tried this as I'm happy with SpamEaterPro, but at a glance is looks really promising....
  It features graphs of Spam blocks - and it's FREE. From the website:

  Spamihilator works between your Email-Client-Software and the Internet and examines every incoming eMail. Useless spam mails (Junk) will be filtered out. This process works completely in the background.
  
  The new Learning Filter (Bayesian Filter) uses the rules of Thomas Bayes (English mathematician, 18th century) and calculates a certain Spam-Probability for every eMail. You can train this filter! So it will know your messages even better than you and continuously increase the recognition rate.
  
  In addition Spamihilator uses a Word-Filter, that searches messages for known keywords.
  
  Of course, Spamihilator supports Plugins. These useful additional filters protect your system against annoying Spam-Messages.
  
  The program runs with almost every Email-Software, such as Outlook 2000/XP/Express, Eudora, Mozilla, Netscape, IncrediMail, Pegasus Mail, Phoenix Mail, Opera, etc…

  
  
• SpamNet by Cloudmark
  30 day trial available for MS Outlook, but there's still no support for Outlook Express.(July 2003)