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."

Spelling

[swordboy]

I have a simple algorithm to reject spam: spelling.

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

but cant it

[InfoHighwayRoadkill]

filter out mesages from my x ;-)

Revolutionary

[jjares]

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

Yes...

[phosphorous]

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

Re:Sourcecode?

[Anonymous Coward]

So would a built in spellchecker.

My favorite line:

[calypso15]

"...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 [uq.edu.au]

Re:but cant it

[Zork the Almighty]

You shouldn't be exposing port 6000 anyway.

Re:Spelling

[gowen]

We should apply the "good spelling" rule to /. posts.

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

They need a Slashdot Firewall

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

As a self-appointed representative of ...

[burgburgburg]

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?

Big deal

[n6kuy]

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

Re:but cant it

[CSG_SurferDude]

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.

SlashDot: The Ultimate Firewall

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Re:Not a firewall

[Tony Hoyle]

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.

Re:Not the first; not revolutionary

[SkyWalk423]

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!

I hope they don't reject my e-mail

[koinu]

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

What's the problem?

[Deep Fried Geekboy]

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!

The what where now?

[broothal]

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.

Re:I hope they don't reject my e-mail

[stienman]

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

-Adam

Re:Sourcecode?

[isorox]

how to make my workplace happier got rejected

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

Solution

[HarveyBirdman]

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

Won't work.

[pontifier]

Any sufficiently advanced spam is indistinguishable from ham.

Fenley's torment.

Re:Ciphertrust, too...

[Just Some Guy]

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...

They've updated...

[One Childish N00b]

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...

Re:Not the first; not revolutionary

[Anonymous Coward]

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