Archives: December, 2010
2010 Spam Subject Highlights
As the year draws to an end, we thought it high time to do another of our Top 10 favorite spam subject lines. The choice (unfortunately) is always aplenty but we think you’ll enjoy these – unless you can do better of course! (Dec 31, 2010)
Et tu, SAP? How not to handle email marketing opt-out!
I get a lot of email from legitimate companies trying to stay in touch with me, with my consent. Unfortunately, in too many cases I find that even the good citizens miss when I try to opt-out of their mailings, by simply making it too difficult for me to do so. SAP is just one of too many such examples. (Dec 29, 2010)
How To Enable Exchange 2010’s PowerShell Web Service
If you’re as busy as most IT administrators, you’re probably looking for the most efficient way to manage your Exchange server. The best tool you can use is PowerShell. Exchange 2010 ships with a well-defined PowerShell 2.0 web service that allows you to manage and automate administrative tasks using a remote session through HTTP. (Dec 27, 2010)
Phishing alert: you’ve got 1 hour!
John P Mello Jr reports that criminals use the first hour after an attack to harvest valuable info, then disappear. How fast is your anti-phishing response? (Dec 24, 2010)
Major League Save
It’s almost 2 o’clock in the morning and your boss is expecting an important email. What is so important to keep him waiting up until the wee hours of the morning? Well, only the signing of the star pitcher for his Major League Baseball team. This player figures to be the centerpiece for the team’s success in the coming years, but the signing must be done quickly because other ball clubs are interested and are pursuing his services. (Dec 23, 2010)
How to prep your email system for the holidays
About to leave for the Christmas and New Year's holidays? Don't forget about your holiday admin checklist! (Dec 22, 2010)
How to clean up after the Gawker mess
I actually find the Gawker1 situation a bit of a mixed blessing. If you work in the IT industry, I’m sure you know how frustrating it can be to explain to users the hazards of reusing passwords, of using short, simple dictionary words, and blah, blah, blah. All that oft-repeated advice fell on deaf ears, right? Maybe now that will change. (Dec 17, 2010)
#FAIL: Don’t let your anti-virus trap you!
Reported last week in PC Pro1, leading security firms AVG and Symantec have been accused of ripping off their customers by cutting short their AV subscriptions once they had upgraded to different versions of the software. (Dec 13, 2010)
Short Story: UTMs Are Not a Panacea
One of my customers is an admin who works within a small portion of a larger institution. The main administrative group decided to overhaul their primary firewalls with UTM devices instead, which included spam and virus filtering for MTAs (Mail Transfer Agents). Can a UTM device replace a dedicated device? (Dec 10, 2010)
The Spam Before Christmas
The Spam Before Christmas [Video]. ‘Twas the fortnight before Christmas, and all through my email / No good messages were stirring, just illicit retail; / There were Viagra and Cialis, and their load of bunk, / And watches galore – really, who buys this junk? (Dec 08, 2010)
How To Deploy a Spam Filter with Exchange
Spam, any unwanted email, has been an increasing problem for business. Not only is it a nuisance, it can often be downright dangerous for your business, carrying viruses and other malware. Various spam filters exist; however, choosing the best option for your company can get complicated. Do you use a separate server to act as a mail relay, a third party program, or integrate the filter into your firewall or your mail server? (Dec 07, 2010)
In the war against spam, where does legislation fit in?
Currently, there are several different approaches to fighting spam, including:Technological, Associative and Legislative.Today I’ll talk about the legislative approach: what it actually represents, along with its status, limitations and weaknesses. (Dec 06, 2010)
Time to give up on GFI/SORBS?
A year ago, in november 2009, GFI Software acquired spam blocklist provider SORBS promising improvements to the responsiveness and data quality problems. Has anything changed? (Dec 03, 2010)
Are you afraid of the cloud?
If you need only a cheap solution for your not-so sensitive data, the bargain bin option is good enough. If you really want to jump into the cloud, look deeper and spend a bit more. But is that enough? Cybercriminals, from basement-dwelling amateur hackers to professional criminal organizations, everyone is trying to get in. Once in, it’s all over: they can see absolutely everything. But how they do get in? (Dec 02, 2010)
Slow Mail Server? Not so Fast!
You just completed installing a brand new mail server, and the mailboxes have been configured and enabled. The newly mounted server is a monster: able to take punishment, heavy loads, and process data in a flash. (Dec 01, 2010)
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