Blocking Calendar Invitation Spam

Spammers, being inventive sorts, have found a way to get spam to you by using calendar invitations. I haven't had any (yet) myself, but from what I've read, it's become a more common problem.

Fortunately, it's easy to block. Follow the instructions in this article from Krebs on Security, which explains what settings you need to change in calendar applications from Google, Microsoft, and Outlook. There may be a downside, however:

Making these changes will mean that any events your email provider previously added to your calendar automatically by scanning your inbox for certain types of messages from common events — such as making hotel, dining, plane or train reservations, or paying recurring bills — may no longer be added for you. Spammy calendar invitations may still show up via email; in the event they do, make sure to mark the missives as spam.