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Revolutionary Spam Firewall Developed

psy writes "physorg has a story on a new spam firewall developed at The University of Queensland. The new technology is the only true spam firewall in existence, according to co-developer Matthew Sullivan. "Existing anti-spam software filters out spam whereas ours puts up a firewall, stopping all email traffic and only allowing real mail through," said Mr Sullivan. "In addition, our technology is accurate and fast. We recently completed a successful trial of a key layer of the spam firewall and it processed the emails at 90 messages per second, misclassifying only one out of 25,000 emails." "It turned out that the software was even better than us, picking up spam we'd incorrectly classified as legitimate emails."

25 of 507 comments (clear)

  1. Spelling by swordboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have a simple algorithm to reject spam: spelling.

    If you can't spell correctly, then I don't want your v1agr4.

    --

    Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    1. Re:Spelling by gowen · · Score: 5, Funny
      We should apply the "good spelling" rule to /. posts.

      ( Read More... | 2 of 1274 comments | it.slashdot.org )


      --
      Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
  2. but cant it by InfoHighwayRoadkill · · Score: 2, Funny

    filter out mesages from my x ;-)

    --
    another Roadkill on the Information Superhighway
    1. Re:but cant it by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 3, Funny

      You shouldn't be exposing port 6000 anyway.

      --

      In Soviet America the banks rob you!
    2. Re:but cant it by CSG_SurferDude · · Score: 2, Funny

      OK, Really off-topic here, but I'll bite...

      Messages you probably want to get from your "Ex-Whatever"

      • The kids are sick
      • The kids are in the hospital
      • You need to pick the kids up from the neighbors house
      • You'll/I'll be picking the kids up late/early
      • Child Protective Services called again
      • The police were looking for you
      • The police were looking for me
      • I've taken the children back to Uruguay
      • Your squid died while the children were neglecting it.


  3. Revolutionary by jjares · · Score: 2, Funny

    The words revolutionary and spam in the same phrase... frightens me.

  4. Yes... by phosphorous · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hopefully their spam firewall is more robust than their web server.

  5. Re:Sourcecode? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    So would a built in spellchecker.

  6. My favorite line: by calypso15 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...companies losing valuable employee time to deleting spam..."

    Maybe they should be working on a Slashdot-Firewall. Damn, I really should get back to work.

    Oh, and since the linked article got /.ed, here:
    http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.phtml?article=5833

  7. They need a Slashdot Firewall by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Their SPAM firewall may work but their webserver seems to need a Slashdot firewall installed. The site is a burning mash of hardware now. Guess they don't have to worry about SPAM now.

  8. As a self-appointed representative of ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unconsciously Desired Email Industry (Our slogan: You opted in in your heart!), I'd like to strongly protest the continuing escalation of technology against us. We provide the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of people to spend freely on products unburdened by simple heuristics of "they work" or "they won't make you ill" or "we'll actually send them". Why are you so intent on interfering with the consumer ethos?

  9. Big deal by n6kuy · · Score: 3, Funny

    You mean it blocks all email, and the one ligitimate email among the 25000 is the "misclassed" one...

    --
    If you disagree with me on social issues, then it's pretty clear that you are a narrow-minded bigot.
  10. SlashDot: The Ultimate Firewall by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Put any website up and it is automatically filtered out of existence.

  11. Re:Not a firewall by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 4, Funny

    the definition of a firewall is a device on a network that allows or denies access

    Ahh, so *that's* what our system administrator is called..

    I'll stick to 'Mordac' though.

  12. Re:Not the first; not revolutionary by SkyWalk423 · · Score: 3, Funny
    They handle around 115 messages per second, and can run up to eight filtering steps

    Is this the next nerd measuring stick?

    Nerd #1: I overclocked my spam firewall, i'm getting 119 MPS now!

    Nerd #2: Sweet! My mom promised I'd get a new spam firewall accelerator card for Christmas, I'll pwn your 119 MPS!

  13. I hope they don't reject my e-mail by koinu · · Score: 5, Funny
    I'm a.l-wa-ys wr|?|-ng l|-ke ðißs 2 m.y f-iends

    amidoacetic platymyoid granomerite nonacceptant dorsoposteriad uninclined unshocked zibet intercity lornness

    1. Re:I hope they don't reject my e-mail by stienman · · Score: 2, Funny

      And you wonder why they don't write back...

      -Adam

  14. What's the problem? by Deep+Fried+Geekboy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Thanks to spam, I have been able to remortgage my house online seventeen times to pay for diet pills, pirated software, false identity cards and bogus certificates proving I am a minister of religion.

    Not to mention my enormous, permanently erect p3N1s.

    Just say NO to spam-blocking!

    --

    I'm not wrong. You haven't thought about it hard enough.

  15. The what where now? by broothal · · Score: 4, Funny

    This didn't make it through my bullshit filter. Oh - sorry, I mean bullshit firewall. It's like this new technology that rejects bullshit from the evil internet, so I never have to read it. Thank god, because if I'd read about this "revolutionary spam firewall" I would be forced to make a childish comment on slashdot and burn some karma.

  16. Re:Sourcecode? by isorox · · Score: 2, Funny

    how to make my workplace happier got rejected

    Make your chair happier by not sitting on it. Let it sit on you occasionally.

  17. Solution by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hellfire missiles into the offices of spammers. It's the only way to be sure.

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
  18. Won't work. by pontifier · · Score: 3, Funny

    Any sufficiently advanced spam is indistinguishable from ham.

    Fenley's torment.

    --
    -John Fenley
  19. Re:Ciphertrust, too... by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Darnit! The spam filter I was writing lets everything through, then picks through my inbox over the course of the next month to highlight possible spam in chartreuse. Back to the ol' drawing board...

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  20. They've updated... by One+Childish+N00b · · Score: 3, Funny

    From the site: These three additions change the first equation to (3*13*17*4*3*17) variations, and boost the second equation to ( 192 x 3 x 192 x 13 x 192 x 17 x 192 x 4 x 192 x 3 x 192 x 17 x 192) = 1,300,925,111,156,286,160,896. Thanks Greg, Ryan and SR, you helped push the total into the SEXTILLIONS!

    Please don't tell me I'm the only one who finds it ironic that the number of different ways to spell it comes out as sextillions...

    --
    Dealing with lawyers would be a lot less tedious if they all looked like Casey Novak.
  21. Re:Not the first; not revolutionary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Isn't this post worth insightful 5 because it starts with "isn't"?