spam

The worldwide volume of spam has decreased in the third quarter of this year, thanks in large part to the mass shutdowns of some major botnet systems . In their latest reports, security software companies Symantec and Kaspersky have found that spam ... volumes decreased 47 percent compared to August figures. Botnets are formed when (for example) malicious software is unknowingly installed on an MS Windows PC. That PC then becomes part of a "zombie network" of infected systems which are then used to propagate spam email messages. Kaspersky weighed in on the correlation between legitimate ... (view more)

Most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) restrict, redirect, or reject inbound emails to save users the time and hassle of having to deal with irrelevant 'junk' messages. However, new studies are showing that a number of ISPs are rejecting millions of ... legitimate emails every day. The problem does not pertain to one-to-one personal messages. Rather, mass marketing emails and communications from sources like social networking sites (and even infopackets.com) are not being delivered to users. The problem is that even though users have specifically requested to receive these emails, the messages ... (view more)

Symantec Message Labs has uncovered some interesting information in light of a new research project. Apparently, Linux computers are sending a disproportionate amount of spam in comparison to other operating systems. The news comes as a surprise, ... since Linux retains only a small market share. The research project consisted of Symantec taking a "snapshot" of spam rates from November 2009 through March 2010. This is done through a method called "passive fingerprinting" which involves analyzing the network traffic of a remote host, in turn revealing the operating system of that host. Linux's ... (view more)

When security officials decide to "go after" computer malware, most conduct their actions from a defensive standpoint. For most of us, finding a way to rid a computer of the malware suffices -- but for one computer researcher, however, the change ... from a defensive to an offensive mentality is what ended the two year chase of a sinister botnet once and for all. For two years, Atif Mushtaq had been keeping the notorious Mega-D bot malware from infecting computer networks. As of this past November, Mega-D had forced more than 250,000 PCs to do its bidding via botnet control. That's when Mushtaq ... (view more)

The reputed "Godfather of Spam", 64-year-old Bloomfield, Michigan man Alan Ralsky, has been sentenced to four years behind bars by a U.S. District Judge in the Motor City. Ralsky and his co-conspirators were found guilty of leading an email stock ... scheme and money laundering operations. Ralsky, a West Bloomfield resident, was convicted alongside his son-in-law, 48-year-old Scott Bradley. Both designed an elaborate spamming operation that took aim at high-value targets: those in involved in the stock market. The pair were able to use spam to help inflate stock prices and in turn profited once ... (view more)

Facebook won an unprecedented $711 million dollar legal victory over one of the world's most notorious spammers, Stanford Wallace. While many feel that the triumph over Wallace is a just legal victory, critics argue that the decision could actually ... help spammers. Spam King Forced to Abdicate Throne Late last week, Judge Jeremy Fogel ordered Sanford Wallace to pay $711 million in damages for flooding Facebook with unwanted spam messages. Dubbed the "Spam King", Wallace would assume control of a victim's account and post dubious wall messages. (Source: computerworld.com ) The posts, which began ... (view more)

Researchers at Northwestern University and New York's Yahoo! Research have shown that they can catch spammers by the timestamps of their emails, paving the way for smarter advertisements, better spam filters, and more convenient social networking. ... (Source: wired.com ) The new technique can differentiate people by using only the timestamps in their Sent folders with a snapshot of what they're doing. You can get meaningful information by knowing what time people send their emails. 80 to 90 Percent of the World's Email is Spam Yahoo! is interested in finding a better way to catch spammers. ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Mule63' writes: " Dear Dennis, I would like to know how to get rid of Tracking Cookies. They seem to be using my email to send inappropriate messages to people and my Internet Service Provider (ISP) has threatened to cut my ... Internet service. Could this cause the computer to go slower? Thank you for any information you can give me. " My response: The short and sweet answer is that tracking cookies probably aren't the issue here. The more likely answer is that your computer is infected with Spyware, is part of a botnet, and is being used to proliferate spam. Allow me to ... (view more)

Spam is the abuse of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast mediums, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages indiscriminately. People who create electronic spam are called spammers. Geographical Origins of Spam As ... of this writing and according to experts from SophosLabs, 28.4% of global spam comes from the U.S. In second place is South Korea, bringing 5.2% of global spam. Following the list are China (including Hong Kong): 4.9%; Russia: 4.4%; Brazil: 3.7%; France: 3.6%; Germany: 3.4%; Turkey: 3.%; Poland: 2.7%; United Kingdom (specifically Great Britain): 2 ... (view more)

Web hosting services in China are allowing anyone to pay about $700 to send out an unlimited amount of spam worldwide. The service, also called "bulletproof hosting," is nothing new in the tech world. The actual intent of bulletproof hosting is to ... allow leniency in the kinds of material that users may upload. Unfortunately, spammers , gambling websites and porn pushers have constantly abused this system to the point where deviant behavior is almost expected. The Ministry of Public Security in China has been cracking down on online gambling sites and Internet pornographers for some time now, ... (view more)