SPAM ISPTS Presentation to NISCO 23rd January 2004

1
SPAMISP-TS Presentation to NISCO23rd January
2004

• Dr. Ing. Saviour Zammit
• President ISP Trade Section
• Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise

2
Introduction

• SPAM is a global problem which effects all ISPs
  in Malta and abroad.
  
• Both Business and Residential ISP costumers are
  effected.
  
• The problems that Maltese ISPs face are not
  different from those of foreign ISPs.
  
• Except that the problem is worse in Malta because
  SPAM consumes expensive International IP
  bandwidth.

3
SPAM - Definition

• Controlling SPAM depends on defining SPAM.
• Unsolicited Bulk Email.
• Problems still arise with this simple definition,
  for example
  
• How can an ISP determine what is solicited or
  not? Sometimes even recipient cannot tell!
  
• What is bulk 100s, 1000s, 1,000,000s?

4
How does SPAM effect ISPs?

• Cost Implications
• Network Integrity
• Customer Satisfaction and Retention
• Liability

5
Cost Implications of SPAM

• Maltese ISPs do not benefit from SPAM.
• Most SPAM (99.99) delivered to Maltese Internet
  Users originates from abroad.
  
• SPAM Consumes very expensive Internet bandwidth
  resources.
  
• Cost of equipment estimate fourfold increase in
  Capex due to SPAM!
  
• Cost of Human Resources to deal with SPAM.
• Cost of anti-spam measures.

6
Network Integrity

• SPAM compromises network integrity.
• Overloads bandwidth which also has cost
  implications.
  
• Overloads servers reduces their lifetime, which
  has a cost implication as well.
  
• Delays the receipt of emails by clients.
• Causes loss of email

7
Customer Satisfaction and Retention

• SPAM annoys customers.
• Causes delay in the delivery of email.
• Causes loss of emails.
• Causes users to doubt effectiveness and
  efficiency of email.
  
• Causes customer churn, and this has a high cost
  to ISPs.

8
Liability

• Despite (or maybe because of) legislation, SPAM
  may open ISPs to liability.
  
• SPAM filters may cause loss of legitimate
  emails.
  
• To control SPAM ISPs must intercept email data,
  and this may infringe customers privacy rights.
  
• But even if it were possible, to control all
  emails has a huge cost implication.

9
ISP Countermeasures

• Technical
• Operational
• Legal
• Educational

10
Technical Countermeasures

• Install SPAM and antivirus filters.
• Monitoring systems to prevent abuse
• Ensuring email servers are not open relay.
• Ensuring that email source and destination are
  authentic.
  
• Ensuring traceability of internal email sources.

11
Operational Countermeasures

• ISPs work together to curb SPAM by exchanging
  information.
  
• Handle SPAM reports and take action thereon.
• Refer to black lists to identify sources of
  SPAM.
  
• Train staff on SPAM countermeasures.
• Inform clients on how to implement SPAM (and
  antivirus) countermeasures on the desktop.

12
Legal Countermeasures

• ISPs draw up acceptable use policies which
  prevent ISP customers from originating SPAM.
  
• The problem here is that an ISP cannot control
  whether an email List has been legally collected
  or not.
  
• The Onus of legistlation should be on SPAMMERs
  and not ISPs.
  
• ISPs may report cases to other IPSs.

13
Educational Countermeasures

• ISPs offer guidance to customers to avoid SPAM
  and filter it out.
  
• Educating customers that sending SPAM is illegal
  and counter productive.
  
• Provide links to anti-spam software.
• Working in fora (such as this one) to inform and
  educate Internet users on SPAM issues.

14
Local Legislation

• Computer Misuse cannot collate emailing lists
  illegally.
  
• Data protection cannot use personal information
  to send out electronic marketing material.
  
• These target mostly local origination.
• But note that 99.99 of SPAM does not originate
  locally.

15
Legislation

• USA (90 of all SPAM - Spamhaus) has adopted an
  opt-out approach to Bulk Emailing.
  
• EU advocates an opt-in approach.
• In EU SPAM is illegal.
• EU exercises subsidiarity in dealing with SPAM
  legislation.
  
• Whatever the legislation, keep in mind that
  spammers will attempt to stay a step ahead using
  technology, and
  
• 99.99 of SPAM does not originate in Malta.

16
Conclusions

• SPAM is very detrimental to ISPs and their
  customers.
  
• Maltese ISPs have deployed Technical, Legal and
  Educational countermeasures to block SPAM.
  
• ISPs welcome the intervention of MITI to help
  increase awareness at social and political
  level.
  
• ISPs will work with government and MITI to stop
  the harmful effects of SPAM.
  
• Additional legislation should help ISPs combat
  SPAM.

17
Thank YouDr. Ing. Saviour Zammitsrzamm_at_euroweb.
net.mt