The new anti-spam agreements are similar to Microsoft’s Hotmail webmail service, according to the Redmond, Washington-based software maker’s MSN entertainment site.
Microsoft has unveiled a preview of its new ISP service, called Smart Network Data Services, which provides features of the email traffic sent to MSN Hotmail subscribers, who have 200 million active users worldwide.
ISPs can see the volume of emails sent from their Internet Protocol space, how emails are affected through Hotmail’s spam filtering, and the percentage of emails marked as spam through Hotmail and its subscribers. By providing this information, ISPs can address problems by cleaning up compromised sites. servers, extend host or network security measures, or execute on email senders if they are valid spammers or marketers, Microsoft said.
Charlotte Dunlap, an analyst at Current Analysis, said ISPs are under increasing pressure to combat spam by identifying spammers. Microsoft’s service is meant to help them more proactively.
“ISPs have been hesitant (to look for spammers) for fear of getting rid of one of their valid customers,” Dunlap said. “But the spam challenge is developing and improving. “
The challenge has grown large enough to draw the attention of governments. Earlier this week, the U. S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a decision to discuss the issue of the U. S. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with government agencies in more than 20 countries, introduced an overseas crusade to inform ISPs about computers that have been hacked by virus writers. to send spam. These computers, used without the wisdom of their owners, are called “zombies. “
The new Microsoft called MSN Postmaster provides data on problems and equipment similar to the antispam sent to MSN Hotmail members. It is aimed at bulk email senders, ISPs, email service providers, mail administrators, and domain administrators.
MSN Postmaster also includes sending emails to MSN members and assistance with resolving delivery issues.
“MSN Postmaster and Smart Data Network Services are an evolution across Microsoft toward broader, more comprehensive, and more transparent data exchange with ISPs and email senders to help email and ensure it remains a valuable and must-have communication tool. ” Kevin Doerr, head of the product unit at MSN Hotmail, said in a statement.
In January, Microsoft implemented its email sender authentication protocol called Sender ID in Hotmail, which is designed to combat domain spoofing and phishing. Both are used in systems to direct consumers to where they are asked for non-public information, such as a bank account or credit card numbers, or where malicious code is downloaded onto their computers.
In the “coming months,” Microsoft plans to expand the implementation of Sender ID to a new security bar in the Hotmail user interface. The bar will warn subscribers about potential email threats by displaying words such as “The sender of this message can simply be verified via the sender ID. “