Tag: spam
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BBC botnet hijack proves controversial
Legal issues raised by broadcaster’s demo of spamming, DDoS, cleanup attempt. A BBC report into the dangers of botnets has got the corporation into hot water, after reporters took control of a cluster of hijacked systems, used them to demonstrate the ability to send spam and launch denial of service attacks, and then adjusted infected…
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Symantec slip sparks suspicion, spam
Update error leads to conspiracy theories and exploitation of fears. A faulty update issued to some users of Symantec ‘s Norton product line yesterday has led to an explosion of rumour, uncertainty and attempts to exploit a lack of clear information. The update, a file called ‘Pifts.exe’, was released without the required certifying signature, which…
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Virus Bulletin announces new anti-spam certification scheme
Independent security testing body to certify anti-spam products. Virus Bulletin has launched a new anti-spam certification scheme. Until now, end-users have had little factual information available about the performance of the various different spam filters. Now, Virus Bulletin will use the experience gained during more than a decade of anti-malware comparative testing to run a…
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CastleCops closes down
Security community project comes to an end. Well-known volunteer group CastleCops , which ran campaigns to identify and bring down spamming and phishing operations for over five successful years, has been quietly shut down. The website, formerly hosting a range of resources, forums and reporting systems and bookmarked by many security watchers, now carries only…
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Disconnection of dubious provider sees spam levels plummet
Web-hosting firm believed to be responsible for 75% of spam. Anti-spam researchers across the world reported a significant drop in the volume of spam seen after web-hosting firm McColo was taken offline on Tuesday. The San Jose, California-based provider is believed to have hosted many botnet control centres that controlled zombies around the world and…
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Riders on a Storm
Researchers hijack botnet – and find spam success rates lower than previously believed. Less than 1 in 12 million spam emails sent through the infamous Storm botnet led to a purchase attempt, according to researchers at the University of California in San Diego and Berkeley – a much lower spam success rate than previously estimated.…
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Free speech argument overturns AOL spammer conviction
Virginia court upholds notorious Jaynes’ right to express himself in bulk. Infamous AOL spammer Jeremy Jaynes, convicted of a massive spamming campaign targeting AOL users in 2004, has had his conviction overturned in a Virginia Supreme Court judgement which essentially undermines the state’s local anti-spam laws in favour of free speech arguments. Jaynes was indicted…