Spam Kings (33 page)

A database launched by Spamhaus.org in 2000 to track the largest spammers on the
Internet (
http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/
).

SBL (Spamhaus Block List)

A spam blacklist created by Spamhaus.org in 2001, based in part on data from Rokso
(
http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl/
).

Screen name

An America Online subscriber's username. Also used to refer to any alias used by an
Internet user.

Seed

An email account created by a spammer and added to mailing lists to test whether a
run of junk emails is successfully delivered and is not blocked by an ISP's
filters.

Sender ID

A technical specification designed to address the problem of email forgery and
domain spoofing. Sender ID is backed by Microsoft and other high-tech companies and is
currently being considered for implementation as an Internet standard.

SMS (short message service)

A feature available on many mobile phones that allows text messages of up to 160
characters to be sent and received via the cell phone provider's message center to a
subscriber's mobile phone, or from the Internet, using an SMS gateway web site.

Sock puppet

A secondary screen name secretly used by an individual during online discussions to
support his position in an argument. Spammers are often accused of creating sock puppets
to defend their actions on newsgroups such as Nanae.

Spamhaus

One of the leading anti-spam web sites launched in 1999 by Steve Linford. The term
is also generically used to describe an ISP or other company responsible for spam
(
http://www.spamhaus.org/
).

Spam trap

An email address set up by a spam fighter to capture unsolicited email ads for the
purpose of tracking spammers.

Spamware

A software program designed to send junk email.

Spamvertise

To advertise something via spam.

Spews (Spam Prevention Early Warning System)

A mysterious spam blacklist launched in 2001 by a team of anonymous individuals
(
http://www.spews.org/
).

SPF (sender policy framework)

A technical specification designed to combat email forgery. SPF is designed to make
spammers send mail from their real domains instead of hijacking the accounts of innocent
users. The technology forms part of the basis of a proposed Internet standard called
Sender ID.

Sponsor

A spammer who hires affiliates to send email ads on a commission basis.

Spoof

To alter the "From" line of an email message so that it appears to come from someone
other than the actual sender.

T1

A digital telephone line capable of carrying data at one and a half megabits per
second in both directions.

TOS (terms of service)

The rules governing use of an Internet service.

Trojaned

Refers to a computer that has been compromised by attackers and can be used, without
the owner's authorization, to send spam or perform other actions.

Troll

Someone who creates newsgroup postings designed to spark a flame war or otherwise
create controversy.

UCE

Unsolicited commercial email, or spam.

Unix

A computer operating system originally developed at Bell Labs in the 1970s. Today, a
variant of Unix called Linux is preferred by many computer aficionados over Microsoft's
Windows operating system. Unix-based software runs on the majority of Internet
servers.

URL (uniform resource locator)

The address of documents and other resources on the World Wide Web.
http://www.oreilly.com
is one example of a URL.

USCF (United States Chess Federation)

The official sanctioning body for over-the-board chess tournament play in the U.S.,
with over 90,000 members (
http://www.uschess.org/
).

Usenet

A worldwide bulletin board system that can be accessed through the Internet or
through many online services. The Usenet contains thousands of forums, called
newsgroups, which cover every imaginable interest group.

Username

The name subscribers use to sign on to the Internet. The username is also the name
that appears to the left of the ampersand (@) in an email address.

Valid "From"

A return address on a spam message that represents an actual email account
controlled by the spammer.

Verified

Refers to a list of email addresses or proxies that has been checked to ensure that
its contents are valid.

WHOIS

An Internet service that enables users to query the ownership records of domains
(
http://www.whois.org/
).

Whitelist

A list of email or IP addresses from which an individual or service wishes to
receive email.

XBL (Exploits Block List)

An anti-spam blacklist launched by Spamhaus.org in 2003 to combat the increasing use
by spammers of Trojaned computers and proxies (
http://www.spamhaus.org/xbl/
).

Zombie

A compromised computer controlled by a malicious attacker for the purpose of
performing a denial-of-service attack on other systems.

For more online definitions of spam-related terminology, refer to "The Spam
Glossary," by Ed Falk (
http://www.rahul.net/falk/glossaryzombieglossaryXBL (Exploits Block List)glossaryverifiedglossary.html
), and "The Net Abuse Jargon File," by Andrew Nellis (
http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/ip/freenet/subs/complaints/spam/jargon.txt
).

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