Sunday, October 5, 2008

Encoding Regular Emails Into SPAM - Net Humor

Hey There,

The other day, I found what is sure to be one of my favorite programs out on the net; at least until next week ;) Everyone hates getting SPAM and most people generally filter it out. I don't have any actual statistics on the percentage of email users who do what, when, where, why or how to their SPAM, but I'm just guessing most people see certain text in an email and automatically delete it, even if it's from a "friend" (So many virii can parse MS Address Books that a name no longer holds any definite indication of value). Given that this is generally the case, I thought it was interesting that there's actually a site out on the Internet that will take a short message from you and encode it into SPAM. It'll even decode the SPAM it creates, so your buddies can figure out what you've actually sent them.

The SpamMimic web application is available for free use and, at this point, will allow you to encode to your choice of generic SPAM, weakly-encrypted SPAM, fake PGP SPAM and fake Russian SPAM. What will they think of next? ;) The explanation for the "why" of this tool is located on their site's explanation page and, surprisingly enough, it makes some sense. Basically, the theory is: If someone's looking for dirt on you, they'll always go for the encrypted PGP ( or GPG) emails you have (assuming they contain valuable information), but they'll never check the tons of garbage SPAM you have sitting in your email box. They'll breeze right past that, assuming it's the typical garbage that SPAM typically is, and your encoded messages will remain safe and undetected.

It's a lot of fun to try out. For instance, if I enter the phrase:

Hey Guys. Let's get together Friday at 8:00 to burn down the old school house!

The SpamMimic Encoder will translate it into the charming piece of fluff that I put way down at the end of this post because it's so incredibly long. The cool thing is that it can actually decode your secret SPAM message, too. It's pretty inventive and clever. Try and find "school" in the output below. It's actually there. SPOILER ALERT: Think Lewis Carroll ... A Boat Beneath A Sunny Sky ... Acrostics ... No more clues ;)

Give it a shot. I think you might find you like it. It's actually a pretty amusing and novel way to secure your data :)

You can find the decoder here and the following embedded code will take you to the SpamMimic site once you enter your phrase to encode!

Enjoy!






Enter your short secret message:







Spam Encoded Version Of "Hey Guys. Let's get together Friday at 8:00 to burn down the old school house!":

Dear Friend , Especially for you - this breath-taking
news . If you are not interested in our publications
and wish to be removed from our lists, simply do NOT
respond and ignore this mail . This mail is being sent
in compliance with Senate bill 2216 ; Title 6 , Section
303 ! Do NOT confuse us with Internet scam artists
. Why work for somebody else when you can become rich
as few as 96 days . Have you ever noticed most everyone
has a cellphone plus more people than ever are surfing
the web . Well, now is your chance to capitalize on
this . We will help you use credit cards on your website
and process your orders within seconds ! You can begin
at absolutely no cost to you . But don't believe us
. Ms Ames who resides in Washington tried us and says
"My only problem now is where to park all my cars"
. We are a BBB member in good standing ! For God's
sake, order now . Sign up a friend and you'll get a
discount of 20% ! Thank-you for your serious consideration
of our offer . Dear Web surfer ; Especially for you
- this hot news ! If you are not interested in our
publications and wish to be removed from our lists,
simply do NOT respond and ignore this mail . This mail
is being sent in compliance with Senate bill 1625 ,
Title 6 , Section 307 . This is not multi-level marketing
. Why work for somebody else when you can become rich
as few as 98 days . Have you ever noticed more people
than ever are surfing the web and people are much more
likely to BUY with a credit card than cash ! Well,
now is your chance to capitalize on this ! WE will
help YOU deliver goods right to the customer's doorstep
and decrease perceived waiting time by 170% ! The best
thing about our system is that it is absolutely risk
free for you ! But don't believe us . Mr Jones who
resides in North Dakota tried us and says "My only
problem now is where to park all my cars" ! We are
a BBB member in good standing ! We BESEECH you - act
now . Sign up a friend and your friend will be rich
too . Best regards ! Dear Friend , Your email address
has been submitted to us indicating your interest in
our letter ! This is a one time mailing there is no
need to request removal if you won't want any more
! This mail is being sent in compliance with Senate
bill 2116 , Title 2 , Section 301 ! This is not a get
rich scheme . Why work for somebody else when you can
become rich inside 22 months . Have you ever noticed
how long the line-ups are at bank machines and people
love convenience . Well, now is your chance to capitalize
on this . We will help you sell more and decrease perceived
waiting time by 150% ! You can begin at absolutely
no cost to you ! But don't believe us ! Ms Jones who
resides in Louisiana tried us and says "I've been poor
and I've been rich - rich is better" ! This offer is
100% legal . We IMPLORE you - act now . Sign up a friend
and you get half off . Best regards ! Dear Colleague
; You made the right decision when you signed up for
our mailing list ! If you no longer wish to receive
our publications simply reply with a Subject: of "REMOVE"
and you will immediately be removed from our club !
This mail is being sent in compliance with Senate bill
2516 , Title 1 , Section 301 . This is not a get rich
scheme ! Why work for somebody else when you can become
rich inside 12 days ! Have you ever noticed how many
people you know are on the Internet and nearly every
commercial on television has a .com on in it . Well,
now is your chance to capitalize on this . WE will
help YOU decrease perceived waiting time by 180% plus
sell more . You can begin at absolutely no cost to
you ! But don't believe us . Mr Anderson of Hawaii
tried us and says "I was skeptical but it worked for
me" ! We are licensed to operate in all states . Don't
delay - order today ! Sign up a friend and you'll get
a discount of 60% . Thank-you for your serious consideration
of our offer ! Dear Friend ; This letter was specially
selected to be sent to you ! This is a one time mailing
there is no need to request removal if you won't want
any more . This mail is being sent in compliance with
Senate bill 2516 , Title 5 ; Section 305 . This is
NOT unsolicited bulk mail . Why work for somebody else
when you can become rich in 40 DAYS . Have you ever
noticed nobody is getting any younger and nearly every
commercial on television has a .com on in it . Well,
now is your chance to capitalize on this . WE will
help YOU increase customer response by 130% and turn
your business into an E-BUSINESS ! You can begin at
absolutely no cost to you . But don't believe us .
Mr Ames of Alaska tried us and says "Now I'm rich many
more things are possible" ! We assure you that we operate
within all applicable laws . Don't delay - order today
. Sign up a friend and you'll get a discount of 50%
. Thank-you for your serious consideration of our offer
! Dear Sir or Madam , Thank-you for your interest in
our publication . This is a one time mailing there
is no need to request removal if you won't want any
more . This mail is being sent in compliance with Senate
bill 2516 ; Title 4 ; Section 304 . This is different
than anything else you've seen ! Why work for somebody
else when you can become rich within 99 months ! Have
you ever noticed nobody is getting any younger & people
love convenience ! Well, now is your chance to capitalize
on this . We will help you sell more plus sell more
. You are guaranteed to succeed because we take all
the risk ! But don't believe us ! Mrs Simpson of Louisiana
tried us and says "I was skeptical but it worked for
me" ! This offer is 100% legal ! Do not delay - order
today ! Sign up a friend and you'll get a discount
of 40% ! Thank-you for your serious consideration of
our offer .


, Mike




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