Now a day’s everybody email inbox is full with spam mails. The problem with spam mails is that they are not malicious in nature so generally don’t get blocked with firewall or filters etc., however, they are unwanted mails received by any internet users. In 2012, more that 50% emails of the total emails were spam emails. In this paper, a genetic algorithm based method for spam email filtering is discussed with its advantages and dis-advantages. The results presented in the paper are promising and suggested that GA can be a good option in conjunction with other e-mail filtering techniques can provide more robust solution.

Traditional correspondence system has now been replaced by internet, which has now become indispensable in everyone’s life. With the advent of the internet, majority of people correspond through emails several times in a day. However, as internet has evolved, email is being exploited by spammers so as to disturb the recipients’. The entire internet community pays the price, every time there pops a spam mail. Online privacy of the users is compromised when spam disturbs a network by crashing mail servers and filling up hard disks. Servers classified as spam sites are forfeited from sending mails to the recipients’. This paper gives the broader view of spam, issues challenges and statistical losses occurred on account of spams.