Spam with no purpose?

Thu Apr 1 03:44:57 UTC 2004

> Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 22:18:03 -0500
> From: Deepak Jain <deepak at ai.net>
> To: nanog at merit.edu
> Subject: Spam with no purpose?
> 
> 
> 
> Can someone explain to me (publicly or privately) why someone would 
send 
> spam with no product to sell, no position to pitch, nothing except 
text 
> designed to get by a spam filter -- without even HTML to KNOW it got 
by 
> a spam filter..

It is a probe to verify the address.  since it did not bounce, the 
address is verified.

Some spam filters filter out empty messages.  The words avoid this.

Regards,
Gregory Hicks

> 
> For example:
> 
> From: Joe Legitimate <jlegit at university.edu>
> To: Deepak Jain <deepak at ai.net>
> Subject: [dictionary word]
> 
> [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary 
word] 
> [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary 
word] 
> [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary 
word] 
> [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary 
word] 
> [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary word] [dictionary 
word]
> 
> --- EOM ---
> 
> I don't understand why one would waste the time, if its a test, why 
> would it get out in public?
> 
> I would like to think I am being naive, but I just don't see the 
upside 
> unless it were particularly targeted at me or my mailserver to 
determine 
> our response or response time, etc.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> DJ
> 

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Gregory Hicks                           | Principal Systems Engineer
Cadence Design Systems                  | Direct:   408.576.3609
555 River Oaks Pkwy M/S 6B1             | Fax:      408.894.3479
San Jose, CA 95134                      | Internet: ghicks at cadence.com

I am perfectly capable of learning from my mistakes.  I will surely
learn a great deal today.

"A democracy is a sheep and two wolves deciding on what to have for
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decision." - Benjamin Franklin

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