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New software developed at the Georgia Institute for Technology can identify spam before it hits the mail server. The system, known as SNARE (Spatio-temporal Network-level Automatic Reputation Engine), scores each incoming e-mail based on a variety of new criteria that can be gleaned from a single packet of data. The researchers involved say the automated system puts less of a strain on the network and minimizes the need for human intervention while achieving the same accuracy as traditional spam filters.

Emerging as the sentinels of this modern scourge are companies like WatchGuard, the Seattle-based manufacturer of appliances dedicated to inoculating computer networks from the spread of viruses. The company in November unveiled three new models in its XCS series of 1U appliances to provide small and midsize businesses with always-on protection from spam, viruses, spyware, phishing and other threats borne by e-mail.