In 2022, analysts found that approximately 49% of all emails sent worldwide were identified as spam. In fact, it is not difficult to notice the enormous amount of garbage that clogs up our inbox, both professional and personal.
If left unchecked, the situation risks becoming unsustainable, with hundreds of spam emails threatening to “hide” the few truly important emails we receive. In the workplace, then, this issue takes on even greater importance, because we cannot afford to miss vital communications, swamped by useless junk emails.
How to solve this problem? The solution exists and we'll tell you about it.
Understanding spam
First of all, it is essential to understand what spam means. This term indicates all those unsolicited messages that we receive via email from addresses we do not know and to which we have never given our email address.
Junk emails very often have an advertising purpose, but they can also be much more dangerous attempts phishing aimed at stealing personal information. These messages can not only disturb, but also expose users to security risks for their personal data.
Where do junk emails come from?
But how do spammers get your email address? Where do these annoying emails come from? One of the most popular options is advertising communications by companies via newsletters.
You may have signed up for a newsletter, perhaps without even realizing it, and have therefore given your consent to receive emails for commercial purposes. In this case, simply click on the unsubscribe button, required by law, which you generally find at the bottom of the email.
In a second possible case, spammers (illegally) purchase contact lists from equally dishonest companies or people, perhaps even from sites that, as mentioned above, offer a newsletter service to subscribe to. There is also the possibility that these spammers have hacked a site or provider, stealing email address lists.
There is then a third very widespread option, in which spammers use "email address harvesting" programs to scan the web looking for pages that contain email addresses (if you have a profile on any social network, for example, the your e-mail address is in the public domain).
The fourth and final possibility is called "brute force". These are programs that automatically generate a huge number of email addresses, hoping to find addresses that actually exist.
How to protect yourself? Spam filters
There most email services most well-known offers anti-spam filters that are continuously updated to recognize and isolate spam emails. Make sure these filters are enabled and configured correctly in your inbox settings:
- Check your filter settings: Make sure the protection level is set to a level that effectively balances the capture of junk emails and the delivery of legitimate emails;
- update regularly: Email service providers frequently update their algorithms to combat new spamming techniques. Keep your system updated to take advantage of these improvements;
- check spam: since this is an automatic process, it may happen that an important email ends up in spam. Check it regularly to avoid missing good emails.
Blacklists and whitelists
Setting up blacklists and whitelists can dramatically reduce the volume of junk emails:
- blacklist: Add email addresses from which you frequently receive junk emails to your blacklist to permanently block them;
- whitelist: Whitelist email addresses of trusted senders to ensure their messages aren't mistaken for spam.
Be careful with attachments and links
Junk and phishing emails often disguise themselves as harmless attachments or links. Avoid opening attachments or clicking links in unsolicited or suspicious emails. This is essential to protect your online security.
Education and training
Being informed about the latest tactics used by spammers can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to junk emails. Many companies now offer training on the security risks associated with junk email and best practices for avoiding it.
Spam reporting
Don't just delete junk emails; report them As such. This not only improves your filter's ability to recognize similar future threats, but also helps your email service provider improve filters for all users.
Use of third-party software
For even more robust protection, consider installing third-party anti-spam software. These programs offer advanced, customizable features that can provide a higher level of security than the standard filters offered by email providers.
Conclusion
Keeping your inbox free of spam is essential not only for your productivity, but also for your personal safety. By implementing a multi-layered strategy that includes using spam filters, managing blacklists and whitelists, and staying informed about how to recognize and report junk email, you can significantly reduce the impact of spam on your digital life. Remember, a cleaner inbox isn't just more organized; it is also safer.
