// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Sam Spade software say? "I've got a byte of info
Sam Spade is a discontinued Windows network investigation tool used to help trace sources of email spam. The same name was also used for a related free web service that provided access to similar lookup tools.[1][2][3][4] The utility was written by Steve Atkins in 1997 and was named after the fictional detective Sam Spade.[5]
The SamSpade.org website was still available in early 2004, but later reported outage problems caused by "blackholing of SamSpade.org by several RIRs and general heavy usage."[6]
Query tools
[edit]Sam Spade combined several network lookup and message-analysis functions in a graphical interface. Its documented tools included DNS lookup functions, whois, traceroute, web browsing in raw HTTP form, URL decoding, email header parsing, SMTP relay checking, port scanning, and website crawling.[7][8]
According to the archived feature documentation, specific functions included:
- Zone transfer, which queried a DNS server for records associated with a domain;[7]
- SMTP relay checking, which tested whether a mail server permitted third-party relaying;[7]
- Address scanning for open ports;[7]
- Website crawling for email addresses and offsite links;[7]
- Raw HTTP web browsing;[7]
- Searching a news server for cancel messages;[7]
- Fast and slow traceroute functions;[7]
- S-Lang scripting commands;[7]
- URL decoding;[7]
- Email header parsing.[7]
References
[edit]- ↑ Moran, John (July 8, 2002). "Sick of spam, PC activists hunt for perpetrators". Chicago Tribune.
- ↑ "How to track down and eliminate spam". Gainesville Sun. April 20, 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ↑ Spring, Tom (January 19, 2004). "Spam Slayer: Why Spammers Love the CAN-SPAM Law". PC World. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ↑ Quittner, Josh (June 1, 1998). "Can That Spam!". Time.
- ↑ Bray, Hiawatha (May 18, 2003). "Leave Me Alone! With Junk E-Mail Out of Control, Internet Experts Want to Redesign the Whole System". The Boston Globe.
- ↑ "SamSpade.org". samspade.org. Archived from the original on 26 March 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Sam Spade Features". SamSpade.org. Archived from the original on 1 October 2003. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
- ↑ Kessler, Gary C. "Sam Spade: A Multifunction Information Toolkit". Gary Kessler Associates. Retrieved 9 August 2026.