Spam news

A selection of recent media items about unsolicited commercial email.

December 2008

Nigerians include FBI in latest version of infamous spam

The latest version of Nigerian spam purports to be an "official order" from the FBI’s Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division.
ZDNet -- 10.12.2008

Anatomy of a spam business

Spam businesses are global in nature, and use a complex network of affiliates to handle different tasks.
SC Magazine -- 10.12.2008

5 Years After CAN-SPAM

CAN-SPAM's effects on taming spam have been, at best, marginal, but it may have forced better behavior by mainstream marketers.
eWeek.com -- 09.12.2008

Spam levels climb as criminals replace crippled botnets

Four weeks after the Mccolo shutdown, spam levels are beginning to rise again.
ComputerWorld -- 09.12.2008

Bad economy helping Web scammers recruit 'mules'

Money transfer scams are on the rise, and the bad economy means that more people are falling for them.
Associated Press -- 09.12.2008

Penis-pill spam email returns

The Mega-D botnet is apparently ramping up again, after being knocked off the Internet when hosting company Mccolo was shut down.
MXLogic -- 08.12.2008

Spam Volume has Risen Back 37%

Spam volume is on the rise again, after falling sharply when hosting company Mccolo was disconnected by its peers.
MXToolbox -- 05.12.2008

Estonian ISP plays whack-a-botnet, has Srizbi on the run

Following the Mccolo shutdown, Estonian ISP Starline Web Services has delivered another blow to the Srizbi botnet by cutting Internet access to the botnet's command-and-control (C&C) servers.
Ars Technica -- 01.12.2008

Botnets Bouncing Back

Despite McColo's takedown, observers say that major senders of spam and malware are returning and may be stronger than ever.
InternetNews.com -- 01.12.2008

November 2008

Anti-spam law comes into effect on Monday

A new Israeli spam law makes it illegal to send messages with advertisements via e-mail, fax or SMS without the explicit consent of the recipient.
Jerusalem Post -- 30.11.2008

Answers Trickle Out as Spammer Networks Remain Compromised

Why has the shutdown of California ISP McColo led to such a precipitous drop in spam?
Washington Post -- 19.11.2008

Fake FDA Agents Target People Who Buy Drugs Online

People who buy pharmaceuticals over the Internet may be targeted by scammers pretending to be FDA agents.
health.com -- 18.11.2008

Dodgy ISP McColo briefly comes online, updates botnet

McColo, home to a number of botnet command-and-control servers, came back online briefly on Saturday, allowing the controllers of the Rustock botnet to shift their operations to a data center in Russia.
Computerworld -- 17.11.2008

Internet scammers take victim for $400,000

An Oregon woman has lost $400,000 to 419 scammers after receiving an email that claimed she was entitled to several million dollars left to her by a dead relative.
The Guardian -- 14.11.2008

Federal Reserve spam attack emerges

Security officials are warning users of a clever new attack arriving in emails purporting to come from the US Federal Reserve. The attack includes a PDF that uses Javascript to attempt to install malware.
VNUNet.com -- 14.11.2008

Suggestions for news items to add (including URLs) can be sent to me using the contact form.


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