spam

spam
1. Commercial EMAIL which is unsolicited. The derivation of the term is a little misty: popular opinion says it came from a sketch in the Monty Python television show in which a large number of Vikings demanded spam at a snack bar and ended up repeatedly chanting the words ‘spam, spam, spam’. Most spam is commercial in nature, offering services such as pornography, PYRAMID SCHEMES, lists of ‘useful’ information such as addresses of cheap auctions, and free software. Spam is often part of some criminal enterprise such as a PONZI SCHEME. Users of the Internet who send spam usually obtain the EMAIL ADDRESSes from list vendors who gather them from a number of sources. These sources include WEB PAGES where a user has placed an email address, user directories maintained by an INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER, POSTINGS to NEWSGROUPS, and information generated by participation in CHAT ROOMS. Spam list vendors construct these lists using special software known as ADDRESS HARVESTERS; these are a type of BOT which scour the Internet looking for email addresses. Spam is increasingly becoming a problem, but there are a number of ways an Internet user can minimize the amount of spam they receive. First, have two email addresses, one which is not circulated widely or made publicly known and one which is used to post to newsgroups and which is never read. Any messages sent to the latter are deleted by the Internet service provider responsible for your mail after a period of time. The second solution is not to put your email address in public places such as Web pages and the members' directories maintained by Internet service providers. The third solution is to use an ANONYMOUS REMAILER SERVICE when posting to a newsgroup. The fourth solution is to use ANTI-SPAM SOFTWARE which prevents most spam reaching your email reader.

2. The term used to describe an attack on a computer in which the BUFFERS used by the OPERATING SYSTEM have been caused to overflow.