| Question: |
How can I protect mail-to links on my web pages from bots
and spiders gleaning addresses for spammers? |
| Answer: |
With difficulty! You can use simple tricks to defeat some
harvesters but they are evolving. |
There are five techniques that you can use, which I describe on separate pages:
Although I have described these separately you may, and probably should, use some of them in
combination. For example if you use a Javascript method then you could use an obfuscation
method for the <noscript></noscript> section for those without Javascript. Filtering may
also be needed even if you have your email address protected.
No matter how hard you try it is difficult to stop all spam. Even if you keep your email
address safe by not posting it on the web it can still be harvested by trojans from the machine of
someone you correspond with if they get infected. It is therefore worthwhile having a means of dealing
with any spam that does get through.
One way to get back at the spammers is to contribute any new spam to those that fight it. I use
Spamcop. They have rules on what you can report and how you must
report it, so you should read their FAQ
before you commit to it.
Here are some other useful Anti-Spam pages:
| URL - link
| Description |
|---|
| banspam.javawoman.com/ |
A useful site which includes a list of
addresses for reporting. |
|
istpub.berkeley.edu:4201/bcc/Winter2003/ feat.spamharvest.html |
An analysis of the various methods of protection |
|
html.about.com/library/weekly/aa080301a.htm |
Don't Catch a Virus from Your Web Page. |
| www.euro.cauce.org/ |
the European affiliate of CAUCE, dedicated to outlawing spam throughout all of Europe. |
| www.spamhaus.org/ |
"The Spamhaus Project. This database tracks known Spam Gangs, Spam Support Services,
and lists providers who keep organised spamming alive by hosting stealth spamming
services on their networks." |
| www.elsop.com/wrc/nospam.htm |
Spam: How to Fight it - Elsop's Anti-Spam Page Many links on various related subjects, |
|
www.stentorian.com/antispam/index.html |
Spam Delenda Est. Another site of anti spam information and pointers, including some humour. |
|
website101.com/spam_file/spam_fighting.html |
"Here's a fairly extensive overview of resources that will help you effectively combat
unsolicited email, and show you the possibilities (and, alas, the limits!) of your
endeavour." Ralph Tegtmeier. |
|
www.stentorian.com/antispam/mailform.html |
How to trace a spammer's email address hidden in a form (sic - not from,
this is a different problem, see next item). |
| samspade.org/ |
A tool that can help determine where a message came from so that a complaint
can be sent to the issuing ISP. (see also Spamcop above.) |
| www.spamotomy.com/ |
Spamotomy - News of spam world and reviews of products. |
|
dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/ Communications_and_Networking/Email/Spam/ |
Yahoo's articles on spam. |
|