Definition:
Spammers are individuals or entities that send unwanted emails, known as spam. Originally, “Spam” was a brand of canned meat from Hormel Foods, but in the 1990s, the term took on a new meaning in the digital realm. This evolution was inspired by a famous Monty Python sketch, where a group of Vikings insistently repeated the word “Spam” in a restaurant, symbolizing the repetitive and unwanted nature of these messages.
In the digital world,”spam” refers to emails that are annoying, unsolicited and of poor quality, and the term quickly spread in chat rooms and forums to describe users posting excessive advertisements.
The first spammer: Gary Thuerk
Gary Thuerk is considered the first spammer in digital history. In 1978, while working as an advertiser for Digital Equipment Corporation, he sent the first spam to 400 recipients via ARPAnet, the forerunner of the Internet. This mailing promoted DEC computers and generated $13 million in revenue, marking the beginning of spam in the digital environment. Although successful in terms of sales, this act set a precedent for unsolicited mass e-mailing.
Methods of Spammers
Spammers aim to send mass mailings, trying to hide their origin and avoid anti-spam filters. A common tactic is to impersonate reputable companies to trick users. For example, they may send an email pretending to be from a bank, asking the user to access a link to solve a fictitious problem with their account, with the aim of collecting personal or financial information.
How spammers obtain e-mail addresses
- Crawler robots: Programs that scan web pages for email addresses.
- Pages with questionable content: Sites that request an e-mail address to download content.
- Inferred emails: Generic addresses such as “info” or “webmaster”.
- Mailing lists: Purchase or exchange of mailing databases.
- Chain mails: Messages that ask to be forwarded to other users.
- Illegal practices: Illegal methods to acquire addresses.
- Random mailings: Trial and error to identify valid mailings.
Impact of spam on security and privacy
Spam is not only a nuisance, but also poses significant risks to users’ security and privacy. Spam emails often contain malicious links that can lead to the download of harmful software, such as viruses or malware, compromising the security of the user’s device.
In addition, by posing as legitimate entities, spammers can trick users into revealing personal or financial information, which can result in identity theft or financial fraud. For these reasons, it is critical for users to be cautious when interacting with unsolicited emails and to use spam filtering tools to protect themselves.