Spam Killer Programs - Questions and Answers
If you're dealing with a lot of spam in your e-mails, or even when you're opening certain pages, a spam filter application is probably something that you need. But I'm sure in that case you would have a few questions about this type of programs. So, here are a few questions answered.
1. How does a spam killer work?
First of all let's take a bit of look at what "spam" is. Spam is made of multiple copies of the same message, sent to various multiple Internet users, in the attempt of making them purchase certain products or services, schemes or even worse, for the reason of hacking their computers or installing keyloggers and spyware to their computer. Spam usually doesn't cost the sender too much, but the ones who often have to pay a lot due to spam are the recipient users. Many spam messages are sent by bots.
A spam killer software typically sends confirmation messages to all the unknown users that send you a message. You can set it up what to block and what not to. A spam killer program also should have a data base of spam bots and stop everything sent by them automatically. Also, a spam filter has a layered approach using different methods to determine whether a message is spam or not.
2. What spam killer programs should I get?
There are free spam killers and there are spam killers which must be purchased. However, any program of this sort should have a free version or a free trial. So, it's always best to take advantage of that before actually purchasing any. A few anti-spam programs that you should look at are: MailWasher (free), SpamButcher, Active Spam Killer.
Also, certain antiviruses offer anti-spam functions. So, if you already have an antivirus, you should double check if it doesn't have one that maybe isn't set ON.
3. What's the difference between a spam filter and a pop-up blocker?
Pop-ups or pop-up adds are also a type of spam, but they are usually different from the e-mail spam. You will typically bump into one or several pop-ups when surfing to a certain websites, that has various adds cleverly made to go around the default pop-up blocker that a browser has. There are pop-up blocker plug-ins that you can add to your browser, or programs to install on your computer. So, the difference between a spam killer and a pop-up blocker is that the spam killer interacts with your emails, keeping them spam free, while a pop-up blocker kills any pop-up add that may be hidden in a web page. There are programs that have both functions. Also, there are antivirus programs that have both functions.