SPAM is an unsolicited, mass e-mail from an unknown sender. The e-mail subject line is often deceptive and the sender offers something that is too good to be true.

SPAM can be a problem for anyone who owns an e-mail account. Though generally harmless, this electronic equivalent of junk mail can quickly overload an e-mail inbox and even cause the mail application to crash. SPAMMERs (those who send out SPAM) use a variety of methods to gather email addresses; they will collect public e-mail lists from company or academic Web sites, purchase e-mail lists from businesses, or even create random account names based on naming conventions, such as the first initial and last name (jdoe@keene.edu) format used by many academic institutions.

SPAM can be very difficult to control once spammer gets a hold of a valid e-mail address. Here are some tips to help keep SPAM from taking over:

• Students: Adjust ("tighten email acceptance rules") the e-mail filters on MyKSC
• Faculty/Staff: Manage SPAM by using the tools available in the Barracuda Spam Firewall or the Outlook plugin
• Delete SPAM after creating the appropriate filters. DO NOT REPLY to SPAM e-mails! Replying will only validate the e-mail address to the SPAMMER; it's like asking for more SPAM to be sent to your account.
• Read the "Terms of Service" carefully when signing up for an online mailing, posting something to a Web page, or purchasing something online. Some organizations sell the e-mail addresses they gather for marketing purposes.