HSML 1.0 - HyperSpamMarkupLanguage

[Blinky the Shark]

Has anybody else noticed random-word *tags* (not just nonsense
paragraphs to hopefully get past filtering) in spam email? I was
looking through some spam for examples of something else, and ran
across this (the whole thing was done in this fashion):

========

Major Breaking News just released in the pa<furrow>st 7<promethium>2
h<meld>ours <br><br>****4 Star Mark<bestseller>et Wa<author>tch****<br>
</u><br>

I<rotunda>deal Fin<company>ancial Solutions, In<stella>c., <br>
** iF<demurred>SL**<br> </b><br><br>

Major Breaking News was re<byway>lease<concurrent>d after the close
Fri<diehard>day<br> <br>
In our op<epitaxy>inion t<afforestation>his is sign<faustus>ificant news.
Exp<incarnate>o<desmond>sure! Hu<aviary>ge expo<diethylstilbestrol>
sure!<br>Watch <b>iF<bluebonnet>SL </b>Tuesday and Wednesday Morning.

=========

Semi-relevant: http://blinkynet.net/comp/rules.html

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Has anybody else noticed random-word *tags* (not just nonsense
paragraphs to hopefully get past filtering) in spam email? I was
looking through some spam for examples of something else, and ran
across this (the whole thing was done in this fashion):

Sure, the spammers have been doing that for years. People who read
email in HTML format don't see them because they are non-valid tags,
of course. The purpose is to break up key words that text-based
anti-spam scanners look for.

vi<large>g<dick>ra...

It pays to do email in plain text, eh?

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Blinky the Shark wrote:

Sure, the spammers have been doing that for years. People who read
email in HTML format don't see them because they are non-valid tags,

I don't view mail in HTML (or spam, at all, generally), but I don't
usually read the text that's behind it, either. Years, eh? Okay.

of course. The purpose is to break up key words that text-based
anti-spam scanners look for.

Right.

Do I still get credit for HSML - HyperSpamMarkupLanguage?

(Unless somebody's found a way to tinker with the GG archive, my use
of kilogoogle and megagoogle as units of Google hits were the first
instances. That surprised me, at the time. <g>)

 

[Kim André Akerø]

Sure, the spammers have been doing that for years. People who read
email in HTML format don't see them because they are non-valid tags,
of course. The purpose is to break up key words that text-based
anti-spam scanners look for.

vi<large>g<dick>ra...

It pays to do email in plain text, eh?

Vigra?

I suppose our local airport does have to stand up to a potency of large
proportions (yeah, I'm going to pun hell for that sentence), but anyway...

And in case any of you think I'm joking, take a peek here:
http://www.avinor.no/English/Airports/Alesund_Airport,_Vigra/

 

[Beauregard T. Shagnasty]

Do I still get credit for HSML - HyperSpamMarkupLanguage?

You get the credit for the big word, but the Harry Simpson Memorial
Library gets credit for the acronym... <g>

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Blinky the Shark wrote:

You get the credit for the big word, but the Harry Simpson Memorial
Library gets credit for the acronym... <g>

Well, that damned Harry.

Okay, I lose the acronymifical (ak ro man IF ih kul) credit.

But I score on "acronymifical". (There are lots of hits on
"acronymic[al]" and "acronymous" (two of which also seem to
be words, as well)).

 

[Toby Inkster]

Well, that damned Harry.
Okay, I lose the acronymifical (ak ro man IF ih kul) credit.

^^^
nim, surely?

 

[Blinky the Shark]

Blinky the Shark wrote:
^^^
nim, surely?

Yes. I think that was about where I spilled my beer and got
distracted.

 

[Robert Jones]

Blinky the Shark said the following on 1/14/2005 5:58 AM:

Toby Inkster wrote:




Yes. I think that was about where I spilled my beer and got
distracted.

Spilled your beer?! *GASP* Alcohol abuse!
Don't worry we forgive you this once. lol

 

[Stewart Gordon]

Beauregard T. Shagnasty wrote:

Sure, the spammers have been doing that for years. People who read email
in HTML format don't see them because they are non-valid tags, of
course. The purpose is to break up key words that text-based anti-spam
scanners look for.

vi<large>g<dick>ra...

It pays to do email in plain text, eh?

It also pays for those who write anti-spam filters to keep up with the
times:

- filtering on what's left after all HTML tags (and things pretending
theretobe) are taken out

- filtering on the very presence of these bogus tags (both by their
nonsensicality and by their being stuck AOTP in the middles of words)

- having some kind of spellcheck mechanism

FTM, has anyone yet seen an anti-spam filter that filters on the
presence of random characters?

Stewart.