Definition
An email bomb is a type of denial-of-service (DNS) that involves overwhelming a target email address with a large volume of messages. The aim is to disrupt the target’s email account, server, or system, rendering it unusable.
Types of Email Bomb Attacks
- List linking: Also known as email cluster bomb, this attack involves subscribing the victim to many mailing lists, forcing them to unsubscribe manually.
- Mass mailing: In this attack, the perpetrators send many copies of the same email to the same address, overloading the victim’s mailbox.
- Zip bombing: Attackers send compressed files with large amounts of junk data, overwhelming the mail’s service antivirus software when it attempts to scan them.
Stopping Email Bombs
- Restrict the distribution list to only authorized users to prevent third parties from overloading important mailboxes in your organization.
- Update your mail-delivery software to implement the latest algorithms against denial-of-service attacks and patch out any exploits.
- Employ email filtering measures to prevent spam from flooding mailboxes and hiding vital messages.
- Avoid publicly posting email addresses in plain text. Attackers can use scraping software to gather a list of potential attacks.