Exchange & Outlook UPDATE, Exchange Edition, January 8, 2004

1. Commentary

- The New US Antispam Law

2. Announcements

- Register for Windows & .NET Magazine Connections!

- The Windows & .NET Magazine Network VIP Web Site/Super CD Has It All!

3. Resources

- Learn More About CAN-SPAM

- Featured Thread: Detecting a Rogue Administrator

- Outlook Tip: Exporting Message Rules

4. Event

- New--Microsoft Security Strategies Roadshow!

5. New and Improved

- Back Up Outlook Files and Settings

- Tell Us About a Hot Product and Get a T-Shirt!

6. Contact Us - See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

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==== 1. Commentary: The New US Antispam Law ==== by Paul Robichaux, News Editor, [email protected]

You might be aware that the US Congress recently passed the CAN-SPAM Act--a bill targeted at making certain kinds of spam illegal--and that President Bush signed the bill into law. Let's look at the law, which took effect January 1 and which might pertain to messages sent from your Exchange Server system. (I'm not an attorney. To be certain you comply with the law, get competent legal advice.)

CAN-SPAM applies to all commercial email, not only unsolicited commercial email (UCE). Therefore, the email that you send is subject to the same limits that apply to notorious spammers such as Alan Ralsky. Those limits include several "thou shalt nots":

- The law prohibits sending messages with "materially false" or misleading header information, thus effectively criminalizing the well-known spammer practice of forging headers to trick spam filters.

- The law provides for civil (not criminal) sanctions for violators who use deceptive subject lines.

- Every sender of commercial email must provide a return address or Web link so that recipients can opt out of future mailings; civil penalties apply for sending email to people who have opted out.

- The body of UCE messages must state that the messages are advertising or solicitations.

- "Sexually oriented" material (a vague term if ever there was one) must be labeled according to a standard that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hasn't released yet.

- Spammers are prohibited from mounting dictionary attacks, harvesting addresses from the Web, and exploiting open relays.

These prohibitions and limits raise two questions: Will the law actually help reduce the amount of spam we all get, and how will the law affect legitimate companies? The answer to both is "It's hard to say."

First, much of the spam that clogs our Internet mail infrastructure is sent by people and organizations outside the United States. The whole issue of making US law apply outside the United States is a topic I'm going to stay far away from. What will happen to US residents who operate spamming factories outside the United States isn't clear. At this point, I think this law will drive low-end spammers (e.g., those who don't make enough money to hire high-end legal talent) out of business, but the biggest offenders will be with us for a while.

Second, the provisions that require labeling and opt-out are pretty clear, and companies that don't follow them can be found liable for civil damages if someone is so aggrieved that he or she files suit in federal court. Many companies that send large-volume mailings to customers use outsourcers and will be off the hook after the outsourcers make the necessary changes to their systems. More companies will probably turn to outsourcing mass mailings as a result of this law, and others will hold off on their mailing efforts while they figure out exactly what they need to do to comply.

For more analysis of the law and its potential repercussions, see the December 12, 2003, issue of the Center for Democracy and Technology's (CDT's) email newsletter (at the URL below). In the meantime, don't get rid of your filtering software. I still receive about 100 spam messages per day in my personal mailbox, even now that the law has taken effect. I expect spam to continue pretty much unabated for a while yet.

"CDT Policy Post," Volume 9, Number 23, December 12, 2003

http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_9.23.shtml

==== 2. Announcements ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Register for Windows & .NET Magazine Connections!

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==== 3. Resources ====

Learn More About CAN-SPAM

If you want to understand CAN-SPAM, the best way to start is by reading the law. The US Library of Congress has posted several editions of the bill at the following URL.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.877:

Featured Thread: Detecting a Rogue Administrator

A forum reader is looking for a way to determine whether an administrator has read through an executive's mailbox--without alerting the administrator to the investigation. To offer your advice or join the discussion, go to the following URL:

http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=40&tid=66421

Outlook Tip: Exporting Message Rules by Sue Mosher, [email protected]

Q: How can I export my message rules to another computer running Outlook?

A: Open the Rules Wizard; click Options, Export Rules; then provide the name of the .rwz file in which Outlook should save the rules. On the other machine, reverse the process to import the .rwz file. If you use a Personal Folders (.pst) file and the path to that file is in a different location on the other machine, you must update any rules that move or copy items to a specified folder. If you use Outlook 2002 with an Exchange Server mailbox, you don't need to export your rules at all. Outlook 2002 stores all rules in the mailbox--even client-side rules. However, exporting your rules to a .rwz file is still a good way to keep a backup of them.

See the Windows & .NET Magazine Exchange & Outlook Web page for more great tips from Sue Mosher.

http://www.winnetmag.com/microsoftexchangeoutlook

==== 4. Event ==== (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

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==== 5. New and Improved ==== by Carolyn Mader, [email protected]

Back Up Outlook Files and Settings

Totalidea Software released OutSource-XP 2.0, software that creates backups of Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2002 files, settings, and email account settings. The software can also create a backup of Office 2003 or Office XP activations. OutSource-XP collects users' important Outlook files (e.g., pab files) and lists them. The user chooses the files and settings to back up, then clicks a button to start the backup. To restore files, the user selects the files to restore; OutSource-XP extracts the backup, copies all selected files to the correct system folders, and imports the user's email account settings and user-specific registry settings into the Windows registry database. For pricing, contact Totalidea Software at [email protected].

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