“He’s a huge problem for our customers”
David Utter Staff Writer 2007-05-31 Robert Alan Soloway has been a fixture on the Spamhaus list of prolific spammers, but now he’ll be known as “defendant.” Soloway first appeared on the Spamhaus Register of … via SecurityProNews
Read More… (From Email Spam News)
Burma (Myanmar) may be in the running for the world’s slowest email: more than four months. clipped from www.lirneasia.netLIRNEasia and ISEAS organized an expert forum on ICT indicators in Singapore in March 2007. On the 26th of January, the Myanmar…
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“Most of our competitors work on heuristics, and have manual centres around the world with people writing new rules to block spam as it is reported”
Anti-spam developer Cloudmark claims its high-volume content-filtering email gateway could prevent almost all unwanted email from reaching a network’s mail servers. via The Register
Read More… (From Email Spam News)
Many types of spam are common, such as email, SMS, splog (blog spam), and snail mailer. Dave Cole discussed these in Spam: It’s Not Just for Email. Today, I would like to talk about one that isn’t discussed as much because it isn’t as common yet: spam in multiplayer online games, or, as I like to call it, “smog”. In recent years many big titles in massive multiplayer online games have been released, and are played by millions of people all over the world. With big groups of players, there are always a few that will pay to get ahead, and spammers know that they can exploit them. I asked several of my close friends who play online games if they’ve seen smog messages, and they’ve all experienced the same thing: offers of gold, items, and quick levels in exchange for payment. One such message offered approximately 10 gold pieces for one dollar, and free character advancement for approximately $10 per day (for a process that takes up to 20 days). Assuming the spammer has automated tools that perform “gold farming” and character advancement, and tools that can improve multiple characters in parallel, this could be a profitable activity. I also asked about classic spam topics in online games, such as ads for cheap medication and fake watches, but nobody I talked to had seen those. I think it’s likely that spammers are targeting a younger audience that’s more interested in their 70th level characters than medications. There is a major advantage for makers of online games over email, however: the game company owns the server, and the game company can stop or slow spam at the source. Email, being open to the world, doesn’t have that advantage. So what have game companies done to prevent spam? Many games have a “report spam” button that lets players report spammers for investigation. Some games disallow or restrict free trials, forcing spammers to pay for accounts that can be shut down. Companies may also make it difficult to automate smog messages. Blizzard, for example, has recently implemented a new, advanced login protocol, dubbed “lockdown,” on their Battle.net game servers. Lockdown helps prevent automated programs from logging into the server, reducing the quantity of automated spam. This problem is still, at best, minor. But as online games become increasingly popular, the battle between the spammers and the game companies may also increase. And for all you gamers out there: don’t get lost in the smog.
Read More… (From Security Response Weblog)
The June 2007 Issue of Inc. Magazine is packed with great content. LashBack is honored to be mentioned with five other best of breed technology companies in a two page spread on pages 50-51 entitled The Best Spam Fighters… Six…
Read More… (From Spam, Anti-Spam, and LashBack…)
Microsoft research on Internet user profiling could lead to tools that help repressive regimes identify anonymous dissidents, the Reporters Without Borders advocacy group warned last Friday.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
“You can find them in Brazil, you can find them in Asia, and - I’m sorry to say - in Canada”
Online criminals are increasingly preying on Canadians as professional, for-profit attacks on computers grow - and young people are swelling their ranks, experts told CBC News Online on Monday. via CBC News
Read More… (From Email Spam News)
For months, German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schuble has been lobbying intensively for tough security measures to fight terrorism and cybercrime. Now he’s putting his words into action.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
Ounce Labs on Monday announced a new version of its software risk-analysis tool designed to help enterprises spot potential security weaknesses in applications.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
“My guess is that spammers do what they believe is best possible tactic. If image spam was a success they would stick to that”
Spam levels remained relatively unchanged during May at 88.51 per cent of all email, according to new figures from anti-spam firm SoftScan . via Vnunet
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Looking to extend its RSA division’s authentication product line, EMC has purchased identity verification services vendor Verid.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
MSNBC news reports in a recent article that a new mutation of the old phishing scam surfaced. Like thousands of previous phishing e-mails, this bogus bank notice asks for your personal information. But in […]
Read More… (From The War on Spam)
The odds of a search engine directing you to a risky Web site are getting slimmer, but some companies are better at filtering out bad links than others, McAfee Inc. reported Monday.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
McAfee Monday pledged a renewed focus on the small-and-midsize business market, where the security firm said its beefing up its product line and sales support.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
The other day, I mentioned a spear-phishing campaign in which the phisher sends you a highly-targeted message telling you that there has been a Better Business Bureau complaint against you and you should click this virus link to learn more.
Well, today I read in Snopes that there is a similar scam involving an email purportedly from the IRS. Same MO as before don’t click the link or you’ll find yourself infected with malware.
Read More… (From The Spam Diaries)
More than half of U.S. government employees unofficially work at home on nights or weekends, raising concerns about the security of the data they’re working on, according to a study released Monday.
Read More… (From Network World on Security)
