Spammers Becoming More Brazen

[Mark Holtz]

From CIO Information update:

Spammers Becoming More Brazen
Spammers are using virus-like methods to avoid blacklisting and get their messages into as many email in-boxes as possible in the shortest amount of time.

Over the past six months MessageLabs' CTO, Mark Sunner, has noticed a disturbing trend: Spammers are using virus-like methods to send out more and more spam.

The recent round of Sobig attacks is a good example, he said. Not only did the Sobig.F virus have an amazingly effective email engine, it also left in its wake a string of back-door Trojans spammers it could then use to hijack machines as launch pads for more spam.

Full article here (http://www.cioupdate.com/trends/article.php/3093411)

[Richard King]

I purchased a commercial building here at the end of August. I have several vacancies and am currently running a negative cash flow on the place, so, needless to say, I am advertising to fill the vacancies. I got a call last week from a fellow who was looking for a place from which to base his "internet marketing" company. I asked him point blank if he was a spammer and his response was that he is not because he only does "opt in" mailings to mailing lists purchased from third parties. I asked him how he knew that the lists were "opt in" and he said that was the responsibility of the list provider to determine. We discussed what he wanted to do at the building for a few minutes. He was going to have a bank of computers doing his "work" and was going to install a fibre line to the building so that he could achieve the highest possible speed on the net. I continued to question him about his business and made it clear that I don't appreciate the many spams that I receive stating that I have "opted in". We spoke for a few more minutes and he stated that he would call me on Saturday to see the spaces that are available. After my drilling of him on the phone I suspect he decided there was not a very good chance of working something out because I never did hear from him. I DON'T want someone running a spamming business out of my property. If word got out of where his business was located I could just imagine the potential for damage to the building. I would rather take my chances and leave the space he was interested in empty for a bit longer. On the second thought though, if he offered a premium on the rent... :grin:

[Bogy]

Richard, you missed a golden opportunity. You could have sold his home address online to people who receive spam and made a fortune. :D

[Richard King]

You're (not your) evil Bogy, but I like it. :D