A
Anti-virus software
A class of program that searches your hard drive and floppy disks for any known or potential viruses. The market for this kind of program has expanded because of Internet growth and the increasing use of the Internet by businesses concerned about protecting their computer assets.
Archive
To move seldom used files from your hard drive to tape cartridges or floppy disks. Archiving old files frees up space on your hard drive. If you ever need a file you stored, you can retrieve it from the tape cartridge or floppy disk.
Attachment
A file that is sent along with an email message. The file can be of any type (for example, a spread sheet, a word processor document, an image or an mp3).
Authentication
The practice by ISPs and other mail gateway administrators to establish the true identify of the sender.
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BCC
Blind Carbon Copy is a copy of an email message sent to a recipient whose email address does not appear in the message. This is in contrast to To and Cc recipients, whose addresses do appear in the respective header lines. Every recipient of the message can see all the To and Cc recipients, but does not know about Bcc recipients.
Best Practices
Methodologies that provide beneficial results. Some best practices are general in nature and can be applied to almost every industry; other best practices are industry-specific.
Blacklist
List of the domains or IP names of suspected spammers, used by ISPs and other companies to block suspicious incoming e-mail.
Body
The main part of an email message containing the actual, arbitrary data such as text or images. As opposed to the header, which contains control and meta-information. In the SMTP standard, the body is the full email message. The header here is only information that the servers need to deliver the message.
Bounce
A message sent by a receiving system that “bounces back” to the originating server to alert the sender of the non-delivery.
Blackhole
Term describing what happens to email that is blocked without a bounce response to the sender.
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Can-Spam
Controlling the Assault of Non solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003; law implemented to punish spammers; requirements include a valid “from” line, physical address, and opt-out link in every e-mail message, and processing of opt-out requests within 10 days of receipt.
Client
In most cases, your email account exists on a central server, and not on your personal computer or workstation. An email client is software that allows you to read and send email through your account by connecting to this server. Email clients generally provide a simple interface through which you can access your email account. Some examples of these are: Outlook, Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger.
Content Filter
Software filters that block email based on words, phrases or header information within the email itself. Goal is to identify and filter to the Bulk or Junk mail folders any email that is likely to be spam.
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D
Directory Service
One or more databases that store and manage distribution lists containing information like user identifiers, e-mail addresses, and network component addresses. Directory services are used by many different applications.
Disclaimer
A statement denouncing or repudiating a legal claim which can help protect your company from liability. It is usually added to the bottom of every external mail.
Disk Usage
The amount of disk space used for incoming mail or mail stored on the server for the user. Users must manage their own email disk usage.
Distribution List
Also known as a mailing list, is a collection of email addresses. You can use distribution lists to send an email message to several people at one time. The list can contain a few addresses, or many. All email systems provide ways to create, manage, and send to distribution lists, but the commands, options, and capacities vary on each system. Furthermore, lists housed on specific systems are unavailable for shared use on other systems.
Domain/Domain Name
Alias made up of words that correspond to the Internet Protocol (IP) numbers computers use to find each other. Domains have two or more parts, separated by “dots”. Example ncmail.net.
DNS
Domain Name System is the way that the Internet domain names are located and translated into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember "handle" for an Internet address. Maintaining a central list of domain name/IP address correspondences would be impractical; therefore, the lists of domain names and IP addresses are distributed throughout the Internet in a hierarchy of authority. There is probably a DNS server within close geographic proximity to your access provider that maps the domain names in your Internet requests or forwards them to other servers in the Internet.
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E
Email
Electronic mail messages in the form of text, documents, images and other electronic files.
Email Address
The address used to reach someone via email. The format of an email address is user@domain. For example, firstname.lastname@ncmail.net.
Email Client
A program used to read and send email messages. As opposed to the email server, which transports mail, an email client is what the user interacts with. Some examples of these are: Outlook, Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger.
Email Server
A server that provides a set of services to one or multiple clients in an email environment. The services may include; distribute files, temporarily hold new messages, or store messages that have already been read. It may be located on the desktop PC or on a combination of servers accessed on a LAN.
Email System
Software and hardware that manages the transmission of email and manages mailboxes.
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Header
The first part of an email message that contains controlling and meta-data such as the subject, origin and destination email addresses, the path an email takes, and it priority. May be used to filter, track spammers or uncover information about delivery rates.
Hijacking
Sending an e-mail that, when the recipient opens the message or clicks on the attachment, unleashes a virus that infiltrates and “spoofs” the recipient's e-mail address, allowing a spammer to actually use that computer to send more spam.
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IMAP
Internet Message Access Protocol is a method of accessing electronic mail or bulletin board messages that are kept on a central mail server.
IP Addresses
Internet Protocol addresses are the numeric identification numbers that refers to a specific machine on the Internet.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)
The company that provides access to the Internet through connectivity services. Examples: Earthlink, Verizon or AOL.
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LDAP
A protocol for accessing directory information. LDAP or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol is used by browsers and email clients to look up email addresses.
Listserv
A system independent distribution list management system. You can use it to create a distribution list and configure it so that others can send messages to your list, regardless of which email system they use.
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Mailbox
An electronic storage area that manages e-mail for a particular end user.
Megabyte (MB)
Measure of computer processor storage and real and virtual memory.
Message Store
A database used to file and manipulate e-mail messages, allowing messages to be opened, read, deleted, browsed and searched.
Messaging
The process where a message is the delivery vehicle for service requests and replies.
MIME
Multipurpose Internet mail extensions: a method to send content other than ASCII text via email. Arbitrary data is encoded as ASCII text for MIME. Currently, most email clients support MIME and can send and receive files of arbitrary type.
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Phishing /fishing/
Phishing scams are attempts by criminals to obtain personal information to enable them to steal your money and perhaps your identity. These scams usually take the form of an email requesting that you confirm information about yourself, or stating that your account at a particular financial institution will be or has been discontinued and you need to login and enter your ID and password in order to reinstate or continue your service. Always be skeptical when asked to provide any type of personal information and NEVER respond to an email of this type.
POP
Post Office Protocol: a protocol that defines an email server and a way to retrieve email from it. Incoming messages are stored at a POP server until the user logs in and downloads the messages to their computer. While SMTP is used to transfer email messages from server to server, POP is used to collect email with an email client from a server. Currently at version 3 of the protocol and hence also known as: POPv3, or POP3.
Postmaster
The person who manages mail servers at an organization. This is usually the one to contact at a particular server/site to get help, information or to log complaints.
Preview Window
Window in an e-mail client that allows the user to view the beginning of a message without actually clicking on the e-mail to open it; this complicates efforts to determine open rates.
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Signature File
A short text file you create for use as a standard appendage at the end of your e-mail notes. For example, you might include your full name, occupation, position, phone number, fax number, company logo, short personal statement and a disclaimer.
SMTP
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol is a server-to-server protocol used to transfer email between computers.
Spam
Widely-used slang reference to unsolicited commercial email (UCE) messages.
Spammer
Someone who sends spam.
Spam Filter
Systems that watch for spam and block it before it can hit the inbox. Spam filters can be complaint or content based.
Spoofing
Forged email addresses that hide the origin of a spam or virus message. It is used to trick people into opening an email because they believe it has come from a legitimate source.
Subject
The Subject of an email message should be a short summary of its contents. Email clients usually display it in a mailbox display together with the sender. Just like the sender, the date of the message and other meta-information, the Subject belongs to the email header.
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T
Trojan Horse
A program that appears legitimate, but performs some illicit activity when it is run. It may be used to located password information or make the system more vulnerable to future entry or simply destroy programs or data on the hard disk. A Trojan horse is similar to a virus, except that it doesn’t replicate itself. It stays in the computer doing its damage or allowing somebody from a remote site to take control of the computer. Trojans often sneak in attached to a free game or other utility.
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U
Unknown User
Bounce error code generated by an ISP when an email address is not registered in its system.
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Virus
A computer virus, according to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, is "a computer program usually hidden within another seemingly innocuous program that produces copies of itself and inserts them into other programs or files, and that usually performs a malicious action (such as destroying data)". Two categories of viruses, macro viruses and worms, are especially common today. Computer viruses are never naturally occurring; they are always man-made. Once created and released, however, their spread is not directly under human control.
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W
Webmail
A web application that allows users to access their email to read or send messages through a web browser (like Internet Explorer).
Whitelist
A list of trusted IP addresses and domains that allows all mail from these addresses to be delivered, bypassing spam filters.
Worm
A program or script that replicates itself and moves through a network, typically traveling by sending new copies of itself via email. Most of today’s worms email themselves as attachments either to all address book entries or as replies to incoming messages. They do not attach themselves to other files or programs. Worms are often referred to as viruses.
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