Jump to content

[Resolved] Spam Decrease?


kdcinfo

Recommended Posts

I noticed around last Tuesday, November 6, 2007, give or take a day, that my spam has been cut by about 75%. However, I can't find any threads or articles related to anyone else experiencing the same thing. I have 2 domains I get spam from, which together, typically got about 2,000+ spams daily. Now, between the both of them, I'm averaging about 500.

I asked one of my hosts, and they said they haven't done a thing. I check my mail using MailWasher, so even if they're caught by my rbl lists, I still see them in my charts. I'm doing absolutely nothing differently.

Has "anyone" seen a decrease in their levels of spam over the last 1-2 weeks? Or perhaps my hosts did do something, but the guy that replied didn't know about it? But from 2 different hosts... weird.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has "anyone" seen a decrease in their levels of spam over the last 1-2 weeks? Or perhaps my hosts did do something, but the guy that replied didn't know about it? But from 2 different hosts... weird.

I have definitely NOT seen a decrease. In fact, I have started to get my annual messages to buy Rolex watches for everyone on my Christmas list.

Who are the hosts you are talking about?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Who are the hosts you are talking about?

My kdcinfo.com domain is hosted by EnergizedHosting (the ones I inquired with) while my giftsforyou.biz domain is hosted by hostasaurus.com.

I've double-checked my catch-all is still turned on for both, and that neither are using host-side filtering applications. I did however find that I had setup some filters on my kdcinfo.com domain, but if memory serves, they've been there for at least near a year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...I asked one of my hosts, and they said they haven't done a thing. ...
I have leaned to mistrust such assertions by low-level support staff but I'm guessing your access to host support is a little better than that and the same response from two different hosts should, indeed, give it some credibility. Yet, AFAICS there has been no general reduction - my own provider filters and dumps like mad so my personal experience means nothing but the trends revealed by TrendMicro at Network Reputation - Estimated spam Volume by ISP presently show more increases than decreases with the top six (accounting for over 11 billion spam daily between them) being fairly constant in aggregate, in the short term. And SpamCop's own reporting stats - Monthly Spamstats show some majestic cycles but no significant reduction (the annual stats in the same area appear to show a significant increase in the last half though I haven't crunched the numbers).

I'm not sure how reliable the TrendMicro macro "estimates" might be (it is surely not in their interests to underestimate but that doesn't prove they might do the opposite) but FWIW this makes it seem unlikely, all things considered, that you would have a genuine "remission". I think you should keep an eye on the broader trends like those (they are dynamic, you need to record) and if your numbers remain depressed relative to those trends continue to look for answers, including pressing your providers for an explanation. Maybe some filtering is happening upstream from them, 99% of their customers are never going to complain, 99% of their customers will not be concerned about the inevitable loss of real mail in the (possible) filters.

Given the generally increasing trends I suspect the incidence of provider-level filtering must increase to keep "inernet experience" tolerable for the majority of users. Too much is never enough for the myrmidons of spamdom - something, somewhere, has to give, so I come back to the thought that the host's first answer is going to be a denial of the fairly obvious reality. You have to question your luck if you apparently wake up one day in the garden of Eden, yes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have leaned to mistrust such assertions by low-level support staff but I'm guessing your access to host support is a little better than that and the same response from two different hosts should, indeed, give it some credibility.

Closer examination showed that the 500+ I was receiving was mostly coming from my second host (giftsforyou.biz/hostasaurus.com), so, their level never changed. Which left the first host. So, I followed up and asked them again... Lo and behold:

Me:
It seems something must have changed in or around Nov 6. After 9 hours of sleep, I awoke to less than 90 e-mails. I asked around, and no one else has seen a decrease in spam. In fact, they've seen statistical increases. Something must have changed a couple weeks ago. I haven't received this little e-mail in over 10 years. I would love for it to be this way, but because almost all filters are only 99% accurate, I just prefer to filter e-mail myself.

Host:

We have made some tweaking on the mail server to protect the server against the SPAMMERS added some rbls in the exim mail server.

Me:

Can you exclude my site from these new server-side filters?

Host:

This is a server wide setting that can't be excluded for a domain or two.

Although aside from this, they're actually a pretty good hosting company. I just don't care to take chances with an extreme RBL list. I tried the Spamhaus Zen list, and it not only blocked my brother-in-law, but my own domain as well (we're both on the PBL based on our service provider IP blocks).

So, all that in mind, I'll be switching hosts within the week.

Thanks for your reality checks and input/advice. They are all much appreciated!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a decrease in the summer, but then into the fall was back up to around 200 spams every 6 hours.

HOWEVER -- the last 8-hour period (up to 5 am this morning) is the FIRST time in a LONG time there were 0 (zero) spams in my Inbox.

This was so alarming, I figured my server had flaked out and stopped popping the mail. I checked. It appears to be okay.

What happened?

spam takes a holiday?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...What happened?

spam takes a holiday?

Zero probablity :D Well, nothing is exactly zero prob but ... see the links - maybe a 25% downward trend in reports over the period of the past week. Your expereice has to be something at the local/personal level (if sustained) or some minor net catastrophe somewhere between you and "them" if short-term. At best a major offender has been stopped and the vacuum is about to be filled just as soon as the swarming hordes detect an opportunity to "improve" your derelict, defective and deficient lifestyle. The continual affirmation of human greed is all that stands between us and the misapprehension that humanity might have suffered some sort of evolutionary/spiritual improvement in recent times. I choose to find this reassuring, would hate to left behind (like Fey in Childhood's End), but I digress.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...