SPAM about to Skyrocket? - GoFuckYourself.com

Rand · 02-02-2005, 03:47 PM

Spam levels are about to skyrocket, according to experts who warned this week that spammers have developed a new way of delivering their wares.

According to the SpamHaus Project--an U.K.-based antispam compiler of blacklists that block 8 billion messages a day--a new piece of malicious software has been created that takes over a PC. This "zombie" computer is then used to send spam via the mail server of that PC's Internet service provider. This means the junk mail appears to come from the ISP, making it very hard for an antispam blacklist to block it.

Previously, zombie PCs have been used as mail servers themselves, sending spam e-mails directly to recipients.

"The Trojan is able to order proxies to send spam upstream to the ISP," said Steve Linford, director of SpamHaus.

Linford believes that this Trojan horse was created by the same people who write spamming software.

ISPs in the United States may have already been hit. "We've seen a surge in spam coming from major ISPs. Now all of the ISPs are having large amounts of spam going out from their mail servers," Linford said.

This will cause serious problems for the e-mail infrastructure, as it is impractical to block mail with domain names from large ISPs. Linford predicts that ISPs will see a growth in the volume of bulk mail they send and receive over the next two months, with spam levels rising from 75 percent of all e-mail to around 95 percent within a year.

"The e-mail infrastructure is beginning to fail," Linford warned. "You'll see huge delays in e-mail and servers collapsing. It's the beginning of the e-mail meltdown."

Linford said that ISPs need to act fast to take control of the problem. "They've got to throttle the number of e-mails coming from ADSL accounts. They are going to have to act quickly to clean incoming viruses. ISPs have so much spam--they are too understaffed to call people up and tell them they have Trojans on their machines. And no one would know what you're talking about."

Antispam company MessageLabs confirmed Linford's findings.

"This ups the ante in the need for filters," said Mark Sunner, chief technology officer for MessageLabs. "It makes it more difficult for people who compile blacklists, which is why spammers are doing this. It will put more pressure on ISPs to take greater interest in the traffic they carry and filter at source."

The Information Commissioner's Office, the United Kingdom's point-of-call to report spam, said it had received no complaints of bulk spam from ISPs.

Dan Ilett of ZDNet UK reported from London.

Online at http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5...ml?tag=nl.e589

WiredGuy · 02-02-2005, 03:52 PM

The war on spam is about to get uglier.
WG

Manowar · 02-02-2005, 03:53 PM

As long as there is money to be made in it, they will continue

MrIzzz · 02-02-2005, 03:54 PM

nice

btw, if anyone is looking to mail rx

XPays · 02-02-2005, 03:56 PM

we still have an ironport a60 mail appliance for sale if anyone is interested

Furious_Female · 02-02-2005, 03:59 PM

They keep putting a band aid on a gaping wound... eventually it's going to get infected and out of control.

hydro · 02-02-2005, 04:03 PM

this is nothing new, its known as proxy locking. Software that does this came out years ago. Infact ive still got a system of 2k computers to do this haha

good thing i don't mail anymore

Rand · 02-02-2005, 04:10 PM

In other news....

Problem: Virus-infected e-mail attachments ending with the extension ??.rar?? are slipping past antivirus scanners, causing computer users to assume the files are safe to open.

Solution: Do not open e-mail attachments ending with a ??.rar?? extension and do not open any e-mail attachments you are not expecting to receive, even if they were sent from a friend or loved one. Use trusted antivirus software and make sure it has been updated with the latest antivirus definitions.

February 2, 2005
Computer viruses have found a new method of infection: hiding inside ??.rar?? files attached to e-mails. A .rar is a type of digital container often used to compress and transmit large music and video files. Because .rar files have seldom been used in the past as carriers of viruses, many popular antivirus programs are not programmed to automatically search and block infected .rar e-mail attachments.

02-02-2005, 03:47 PM	#1
Rand Industry Vet Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 2,663	SPAM about to Skyrocket? Spam levels are about to skyrocket, according to experts who warned this week that spammers have developed a new way of delivering their wares. According to the SpamHaus Project--an U.K.-based antispam compiler of blacklists that block 8 billion messages a day--a new piece of malicious software has been created that takes over a PC. This "zombie" computer is then used to send spam via the mail server of that PC's Internet service provider. This means the junk mail appears to come from the ISP, making it very hard for an antispam blacklist to block it. Previously, zombie PCs have been used as mail servers themselves, sending spam e-mails directly to recipients. "The Trojan is able to order proxies to send spam upstream to the ISP," said Steve Linford, director of SpamHaus. Linford believes that this Trojan horse was created by the same people who write spamming software. ISPs in the United States may have already been hit. "We've seen a surge in spam coming from major ISPs. Now all of the ISPs are having large amounts of spam going out from their mail servers," Linford said. This will cause serious problems for the e-mail infrastructure, as it is impractical to block mail with domain names from large ISPs. Linford predicts that ISPs will see a growth in the volume of bulk mail they send and receive over the next two months, with spam levels rising from 75 percent of all e-mail to around 95 percent within a year. "The e-mail infrastructure is beginning to fail," Linford warned. "You'll see huge delays in e-mail and servers collapsing. It's the beginning of the e-mail meltdown." Linford said that ISPs need to act fast to take control of the problem. "They've got to throttle the number of e-mails coming from ADSL accounts. They are going to have to act quickly to clean incoming viruses. ISPs have so much spam--they are too understaffed to call people up and tell them they have Trojans on their machines. And no one would know what you're talking about." Antispam company MessageLabs confirmed Linford's findings. "This ups the ante in the need for filters," said Mark Sunner, chief technology officer for MessageLabs. "It makes it more difficult for people who compile blacklists, which is why spammers are doing this. It will put more pressure on ISPs to take greater interest in the traffic they carry and filter at source." The Information Commissioner's Office, the United Kingdom's point-of-call to report spam, said it had received no complaints of bulk spam from ISPs. Dan Ilett of ZDNet UK reported from London. Online at http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5...ml?tag=nl.e589 __________________ -- Rand Payment Industry - Communications - Quality Assurance

02-02-2005, 03:52 PM	#2
WiredGuy Pounding Googlebot Industry Role: Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 34,495	The war on spam is about to get uglier. WG __________________ I play with Google.

02-02-2005, 03:54 PM	#4
MrIzzz If u touch it, I will cum Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: long island Posts: 22,923	nice btw, if anyone is looking to mail rx __________________ WHO WANTS TO PLAY GRAB-ASS?

02-02-2005, 03:56 PM	#5
XPays Team Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Inside the most accurately counting and reporting affiliate system in the world at XPays.com Posts: 13,002	we still have an ironport a60 mail appliance for sale if anyone is interested __________________ InterNext Expo Domain Auction Live Now thru Feb 5 HuntingMoon GFY Domains Marketplace is LIVE XPays always pays! Top Site: * RealJasmine.com * + HotelHeiress® with The Paris Hilton Sex Video Insert the HotelHeiress® HD FEED into your members areas XPin.com Opening for Pin Partners Soonish Mainstream Offers For Emailers and DomainersNONADULT.COM Like Us!

02-02-2005, 03:59 PM	#6
Furious_Female Confirmed User Industry Role: Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Upstate, New York Posts: 8,187	They keep putting a band aid on a gaping wound... eventually it's going to get infected and out of control. __________________ Skype: j3nn.com ICQ 160370494 My current favorite high-converting sponsor: CrakRevenue

02-02-2005, 03:53 PM	#3
Manowar jellyfish Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 71,528	As long as there is money to be made in it, they will continue

02-02-2005, 04:03 PM	#7
hydro Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Dirty 3rd Posts: 4,216	this is nothing new, its known as proxy locking. Software that does this came out years ago. Infact ive still got a system of 2k computers to do this haha good thing i don't mail anymore

02-02-2005, 04:10 PM	#8
Rand Industry Vet Industry Role: Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Santa Monica, CA Posts: 2,663	In other news.... Problem: Virus-infected e-mail attachments ending with the extension ??.rar?? are slipping past antivirus scanners, causing computer users to assume the files are safe to open. Solution: Do not open e-mail attachments ending with a ??.rar?? extension and do not open any e-mail attachments you are not expecting to receive, even if they were sent from a friend or loved one. Use trusted antivirus software and make sure it has been updated with the latest antivirus definitions. February 2, 2005 Computer viruses have found a new method of infection: hiding inside ??.rar?? files attached to e-mails. A .rar is a type of digital container often used to compress and transmit large music and video files. Because .rar files have seldom been used in the past as carriers of viruses, many popular antivirus programs are not programmed to automatically search and block infected .rar e-mail attachments. __________________ -- Rand Payment Industry - Communications - Quality Assurance