[email protected] was blackholed in 2002 after email worms like Klez flooded the inbox, overwhelming BT's service and risking account termination. The author, owner of the coveted 2-letter email address, faced tens of thousands of daily malicious emails exploiting vulnerabilities in early 2000s internet-connected software, particularly Counter-Strike installations that exposed addresses in mission briefings. BT Customer Service was forced to blackhole the address to protect the service and prevent bounced emails to spoofed senders.

This crisis stemmed from the era's rampant email worms, which evolved beyond simple attachments to harvest addresses from hard drives and spoof headers, flooding inboxes and filling the 15MB BT mailbox. The author's experience underscores the technical significance of early email security challenges, where even legitimate emails were lost in the deluge, and spoofed accusations added to the chaos. The decision to blackhole was a direct response to these sophisticated threats, highlighting the practical application of ISP mitigation strategies to preserve service integrity.

Today, the [email protected] address remains active but non-functional, its inbox vanished years ago. The author's experiment to send an email confirms the account's status as a ghost address, raising questions about its ongoing vulnerability to worms like Klez, 24 years after the blackhole was first applied. This story serves as a stark reminder of the technical evolution of email threats and the lasting impact of early cybersecurity measures.