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Newbie/Basic Questions

Existing email address as honeypot/spam trap?

Author: S.Purity (29 Jan 12 3:35pm)

I have my domain email set up with what used to be called “star addressing”, and may also be called “catch all”. Note: i do understand the implications of this arrangement in terms of opening myself up for receiving mass quantities of spam. Please do not lecture me on this setup choice. Thank you.

I used to use a particular address as a mailto: point on an old home page on my website. This was many years ago. It has probably not been used since 2004. During its whole existence as an active link on my site, it probably received no more than 20 email messages.

Starting in 2011, lots of spam emails have come in to this one address. Currently, it’s about 6-10 a day. These are pure spam: i have been checking each message to this address for the past 3-4 months: 100% spam, 0% ham.

Seems to me that since this one address is collecting all spam all the time and the spammers are using it actively right now, it may be of use to some spam-fighting system somewhere.

I’m getting the sense that it isn’t appropriate for Project Honey Pot (please correct me if i’m wrong). I’m posting to ask: Does anyone know of any spam-fighting system which can make use of the flood of 100% spam email messages coming into this one address? (I did a WWW search and didn’t find anything useful.) I’d love to have this accidental honeypot benefit the community, if possible.

Thanks for your thoughts.

))Sonic((

Re: Existing email address as honeypot/spam trap?

Author: H.User1325 (29 Jan 12 8:08pm)

I report all my spam, several 100/day, to http://www.spamcop.net/ and http://www.knujon.com/index.html (that's No Junk spelled backwards)

spamcop looks at the source of the spam and builds a block list

knujon on the other hand looks at the websites linked to/promoted by the spam. There approach is to attack the money trail that supports the spam.

an address that has been used as an active email address can't be used as a honeypot, but that doesn't stop you from reporting what you identify as spam to the two groups above.

Lou

Re: Existing email address as honeypot/spam trap?

Author: H.User1325 (30 Jan 12 6:44am)

I overlooked the group at http://www.phishtank.com/index.php that focus on phishing email that are out to collect account numbers and passwords

Lou