Comments on: Random word emails http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random scratched tallies on the prison wall Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:38:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Luís Caldinhas http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-99486 Luís Caldinhas Fri, 10 Aug 2007 10:59:57 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-99486 I think the objective of the spammer is obtaining working e-mail addresses from random ones. Imagine, if 1 000 000 mails are sent and 1% of them generate automatic replys (out-of-office, for example), he will have 10 000 working e-mail addresses to use in the future in commercial spam. The message itself means nothing, it's just a bunch of random words taken from a diccionary (a,b,c,d, like you said, remember?). I think the objective of the spammer is obtaining working e-mail addresses from random ones. Imagine, if 1 000 000 mails are sent and 1% of them generate automatic replys (out-of-office, for example), he will have 10 000 working e-mail addresses to use in the future in commercial spam. The message itself means nothing, it’s just a bunch of random words taken from a diccionary (a,b,c,d, like you said, remember?).

]]> By: Dave http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-99446 Dave Sun, 15 Jul 2007 13:52:21 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-99446 I get these too. But I see no advertising of any nature, In the message or the HTML. Here is the HTML for one message I got today. Just random words except that they all start with the letter a,b,c or d. Any ideas ?? collimate alexandre, chili database bank, allowance confusion. dilution castle biracial audiovisual conceit criterion being. denotative cerulean deer bled averred died bartholomew denmark d'oeuvre aberrant accost chao. benthic acuity binocular bluebush approval birch camera I get these too. But I see no advertising of any nature, In the message or the HTML.

Here is the HTML for one message I got today. Just random words except that they all start with the letter a,b,c or d.

Any ideas ??

collimate alexandre, chili database bank, allowance confusion. dilution castle biracial audiovisual
conceit criterion being. denotative cerulean deer bled averred died bartholomew denmark
d’oeuvre aberrant accost chao. benthic acuity binocular bluebush approval birch camera

]]> By: Darren http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-1874 Darren Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-1874 They're designed to get past a specific type of spam filter that work by statistical analysis of words that spammers typically use.<br /> By throwing in some non-spam words they hope to fool the filter into thinking it's not spam.<br /> It doesn't work with the latest round of filters though.<br /> See <a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html">http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html</a> They’re designed to get past a specific type of spam filter that work by statistical analysis of words that spammers typically use.
By throwing in some non-spam words they hope to fool the filter into thinking it’s not spam.
It doesn’t work with the latest round of filters though.
See http://www.paulgraham.com/spam.html

]]> By: Aquarion http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-1875 Aquarion Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-1875 It's not that, these are <b>just</b> random words, no sales attached.<br /> <br /> In all the ones I've had, the reason I don't see anything beyond the random words is that I'm ignoring the HTML portion of the post, if you look at the raw code of the page (Assuming Thunderbird, that's view source. I've no idea what you use though) and all the sales stuff is in the HTML It’s not that, these are just random words, no sales attached.

In all the ones I’ve had, the reason I don’t see anything beyond the random words is that I’m ignoring the HTML portion of the post, if you look at the raw code of the page (Assuming Thunderbird, that’s view source. I’ve no idea what you use though) and all the sales stuff is in the HTML

]]> By: sil http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-1876 sil Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-1876 Oh, they're HTML, are they? Mutt hides all that from me :) I thought they were just random words and no other content at all. Must check that. Oh, they’re HTML, are they? Mutt hides all that from me :) I thought they were just random words and no other content at all. Must check that.

]]> By: Chris Burkhardt http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-1877 Chris Burkhardt Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-1877 Hehe I was thinking the same thing about these spam emails I'm getting which seem to be nothing but random words and passages... but then I turned on image loading, and it turns out the spam was trying to sell something after-all (and getting past my filters successfully, I'm sad to say) Hehe I was thinking the same thing about these spam emails I’m getting which seem to be nothing but random words and passages… but then I turned on image loading, and it turns out the spam was trying to sell something after-all (and getting past my filters successfully, I’m sad to say)

]]> By: Upbeatdad http://www.kryogenix.org/days/2004/01/28/random#comment-1878 Upbeatdad Thu, 01 Jan 1970 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.kryogenix.org/adpb/2004/01/28/random/#comment-1878 If your mail reader lets you, switch the view to 'raw message' and you'll see all the garbage that got scraped off before you saw the random words.  You'll also see a lot more words.<br /> <br /> Nice to know that the SPAM filters are working. If your mail reader lets you, switch the view to ‘raw message’ and you’ll see all the garbage that got scraped off before you saw the random words.  You’ll also see a lot more words.

Nice to know that the SPAM filters are working.

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