Securing your computer is vital in protecting yourself from what are known as zombie spammers. Their goal is to infect your computer with malicious software and send spam to other people, making you an ‘accidental spammer’. This is illegal and criminal penalties apply.

Server zombies

Server zombie problems occur when a business runs a server that is set up incorrectly and vulnerable to exploitation. If your email or web server is set up this way, it is known as an 'open proxy' or ‘open relay’.

If your computer is being used as a zombie, or your server is being exploited, the spam header information will show you as the source of the emails, even if you did not generate them.

The best way to ensure your server won’t become a zombie is to install anti-virus software and keep it up to date. If you have your own email or web server, you can also follow some simple server security tips.

Spoofing

If you are receiving returned emails that look as if they've been sent by you, your address or domain name has probably 'spoofed' by a spammer. This means the spammer is pretending to be you by making their messages look as if it comes from your email or website address.

It is unlikely the spoofing is directed against you or your company and the activity is usually random. Your name or business will not be blacklisted as a spammer as a result of spoofing and the problem will usually stop after a few weeks, without you taking action.