VB Migration

Tag: spam

  • The sound of spam

    Firm reports 15 million MP3 spams in October. Last month saw pump-and-dump spammers try out yet another file type for getting their message across to the gullible: MP3 audio files. As the success of pump-and-dump scams relies on victims investing in shares, getting the name of a particular company lodged in recipients’ minds is the…

  • Storm spams promise spooky Halloween

    Tricks not treats as skeleton game emails link to attack. The ‘Storm’ attack has once again taken advantage of a popular cultural occasion to spam out the latest wave of links to fake online games, which hide new variants of trojans designed to hijack systems and add them to a global zombie network. Previous dates…

  • Pump-and-dumpers move on to MP3 spam

    Audio files latest stock pushing tactic. Pump-and-dump spammers have moved on from image spam, PDF spam and Excel spreadsheet spam to try out yet another file type: MP3 audio files. In pump-and-dump scams, crooks buy up swathes of cheap ‘penny’ stocks, send out massive advertising campaigns trying to convince recipients that the company is worth…

  • Bulletproof hosting firm claims legitimacy

    Crime-laden Russian service threatens to sue detractors. A notorious Russian firm offering ‘bulletproof hosting’ – website hosting services with a guarantee that sites will not be taken down if found to be serving up illegal content, spam, malware, phishing sites etc. – has claimed in a media interview that its services are entirely genuine and…

  • Storm botnet evolution hints at spam and DDoS renting

    Latest change in tactics could mean zombie clusters for hire. The latest twist in the long-running ‘Storm’ saga, the use of encryption in communications between infected hosts and command-and-control systems, has led to widespread speculation that the ever-growing botnet being built up by the criminals behind the attack is being split into segments in preparation…

  • Five to six years for $1 million porn spammers

    Strong sentences for CAN-SPAM breaches, money laundering. Two US men found guilty in June of breaching the terms of the 2003 CAN-SPAM Act, as well as numerous other charges including money laundering and witness tampering, have been sentenced to spend over five years in jail for their crimes. They are the first to be convicted…

  • Online fraud fighters’ reputation targeted by crooks

    Joe Job attack aims to blacken good name of UK crimefighter Bobbear. In a smear attack against UK-based online fraud-fighting website Bobbear.co.uk , spammers have sent out email campaigns claiming to originate from the site, requesting donations to a phony e-Gold account set up by the criminals. Bobbear is a volunteer site battling fraud and…

  • Spam sneaked out via YouTube systems

    Entertainment site service used to send junk mails. Spammers have taken advantage of an email service provided by popular video clip site YouTube , to send out spams pushing dating sites and offering video game prizes. The ‘Invite your friends’ service available on the site allows users to email friends with information on YouTube ‘s…

  • What’s in a number?

    Latest round of spam stats. According to various reports last month, spam now accounts for 83%, 85%, 91.9% or 95% of all emails received. Regardless of the inconsistencies, the figures (released by various tech firms, consultancies and analysts) do all put the total volume of spam at a very high level. However, now that spam…

  • China to try e-stamping out spam

    Postage stamps to become the norm for Chinese emailers? The national Internet regulator in China has announced future plans to introduce ‘e-stamp’ technology in an attempt to curb rising spam levels. The Antispam Work Commission of the Internet Society of China is working together with researchers from several institutes to develop the email stamp technology.…