How to manage a Subscription Bomb

In an era where digital communication is apparent everywhere, the term Subscription Bomb has become increasingly relevant. So, you are wondering what this “Subscription Bomb” is, its implications, and how to effectively manage and prevent it from happening to you or someone in your company. Lets talk about email security, and how you can strengthen your guards.

What is a Subscription Bomb?

It refers to the overwhelming flood of subscription emails that you may receive without consent. It’s a disruptive occurrence that can clutter your inbox and obscure important messages. And we are not just talking about a few emails popping into your inbox, no, we are talking about thousands. Imagine that you have two thousand emails sitting in your inbox, how would you determine which are important and which ones are not? In between all these unwanted emails, you received a notification of a transaction that occurred on your credit card, but you are missing this email because of all the clutter.

My bank card information was stolen and in order to hide the on-line purchase my email was used in a bot program to sign me up on subscription websites or newsletters.  I am getting thousands of confirmations in my inbox.

Recognizing the Signs

The hallmark of a subscription bomb is a sudden spike in emails from unknown sources, often containing subscription confirmations or newsletters. Recognizing this early is crucial for timely management.

Effective Management Strategies

To tackle a subscription bomb, consider the following steps:

1. Unsubscribe Promptly: Identify and unsubscribe from each unwanted subscription.
2. Leverage Spam Filters: Mark these emails as spam to aid your email provider in filtering future similar content.
3. Secure Your Email: Change your passwords and consider enabling two-factor authentication for added security.
4. Implement Email Filters: Create filters to automatically sort emails based on specific keywords.
5. Stay Vigilant: Report any suspicious subscription activity to your email provider.
6. Microsoft Copilot: If you have a Copilot subscription, make use of it by working out best prompts to help you filter and sort.

Prevention is Better than Cure

Preventing subscription bombs is key:

• Secondary Email: Use a different email for sign-ups.
• Share with Caution: Limit sharing your primary email.
• Two-Factor Authentication: Add an extra security layer.
• Stay Informed: Educate yourself on the latest in email security and spam prevention.
• Change your current settings: Up your security settings in your current setup. Here is steps that you could follow to “Change the Level of Protection in the Junk Email Filter” as suggested by Microsoft

By understanding and implementing these strategies, you can protect yourself from the inconvenience of a Subscription Bomb. Keep your inbox clean and your communications secure with proactive measures.