Microsoft launches anti-spam tools for MSN Hotmail

Microsoft Thursday announced tools and services designed to help protect its MSN Hotmail customers from spam, phishing, and viruses.

The company announced MSN Postmaster, a Web site designed for use by bulk e-mailers and ISPs to better understand Microsoft’s rules for sending messages to Hotmail users.

Available in 10 languages, the Web site advises visitors on issues such as how to better the chances of their legitimate mail getting through and reporting e-mail abuses, company officials say.

Microsoft also announced a preview release of its Smart Network Data Services. The free service, designed for use by ISPs, generates reports on characteristics of traffic sent to Hotmail users.

For example, an ISP could look up the volume of e-mail sent from its IP space to Hotmail users and determine how that traffic is treated by Hotmail’s spam filters, officials say.

Microsoft says this service will help ISPs identify and take action against spammers by, for example, recording mail volumes being sent from their IP space to Hotmail users that could unveil high-usage patterns related to compromised “zombie” PCs.

Microsoft officials say these new offerings complement its ongoing work in the area of sender authentication, most notably its Sender ID Framework that was implemented on MSN Hotmail in January.

MSN Hotmail has over 200 million active e-mail accounts worldwide, according to the company.