Definition of: directory harvest attack
directory harvest attack
A method spammers use to obtain valid e-mail addresses. Random names are generated and sent out to valid domains. If an undeliverable message does not return, the name is assumed to be genuine. Random names are easy to generate from any electronic phone book because many organizations standardize on conventions such as first name letter and last name or first name and last name letter; for example, John Doe could be firstname.lastname@example.org or email@example.com.