E-Mail Loop

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An E-Mail Loop is an infinite loop phenomenon created by mail servers, scripts, or mail reading programs generating automatic replies or responses, to which each automatic response generates another automatic response and so on. The process can continue until one mailbox is full or reaches its mail sending limit. In some cases, the E-Mail loop could last an infinite duration. Mail loops can be accidentally caused, or caused intentionally (these are known as malicious attacks.)

E-Mail loops are not as common today as in the past, due to software changes that prevent automatic replies to vacation responses and bounced mail responses.

[edit] Costs of an E-Mail Loop

Bandwidth: E-Mail loops use up limited bandwidth over networks.
Processing Time: E-Mail loops will take up processing time, and could slow down other processes.
Human Time: Network administrators may have to intervene to fix the problem, or clean up mailboxes. Also the mailbox user/owner will have to delete the numerous responses in order to clean up their mailbox.