spammers get aggressive

Ed Foster writes:

As if it's not bad enough that readers are getting more spam than ever, it appears that spammers are becoming more aggressive and even downright belligerent in asserting their right to send junk e-mail however and to whomever they please.

Ed is right about the aggressiveness and belligerence, but wrong in his phrasing: spammers have no "right" to use the connection YOU pay for to send you their uninvited junk. It's not a "free speech" issue as so many spammers like to put it, because it's NOT free -- YOU pay for it, and therefore YOU have the right to decide what you do and do not receive.

"Spam Doubles" says The New York Times

In The New York Times "Technology" section, today's major story states:

In the last six months, the problem has gotten measurably worse. Worldwide spam volumes have doubled from last year, according to IronPort [owners of SpamCop], a spam filtering firm, and unsolicited junk mail now accounts for more than 9 of every 10 e-mail messages sent over the Internet.

"Mail server report"

Another spam blitz with the Subject line "Mail server report" is making the rounds, wherein the message states:

Our firewall determined the e-mails containing worm copies are being
sent from your computer.

It then instructs the recipient (you) to open the attached "updates for worm elimination". Of course, the attached file contains the worm.

Never open any attachment that you don't know anything about.

"Check Cashing Scam" spam

An e-mail scam is making the rounds, which involves you (the victim) accepting checks by mail, depositing them into your own bank account, then sending a remittance (minus your 10% commission) by Western Union to the scammer. Of course, the checks you receive then bounce, leaving you holding the bag. Thanks to Ted Richardson for his post about this scam on his Fraudwar blog:

Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds: Check Cashing Jobs -
  A Quick Way to Drain Your Bank Account and Maybe Go to Jail

my favourite spammers:

fully 90% of the spam I receive is from (or relayed through) the following servers


Love the logo, hate the spam:


Yo, ho, Hanaro! Now owned by SK broadband:




Direct to you through jsinfo.net:


Do as Shang say, not as Shang do:


Brought to you by China Telecom:


Customer first, spam foremost:


More chinese spam:


ABC Hong Kong:


For that mission-critical spam:


They'll never stop spamming for you:


The Ultimate Collection Of Worldwide Spamsites:


Comspam:


Spammin' on the KT:


Brasilian spam:


... and more Brasilian spam:

Gates in 2004: "spam will be solved"

At the 2004 World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Bill Gates declared that "Two years from now, spam will be solved". Two years later, Microsoft spam-manager Ryan Hamlin says, "Bill didn't say that there would be no spam. But he said the problem would be solved, and I think that is what we actually have accomplished."

Notwithstanding that the majority of e-mail users think otherwise, Hamlin insists that "We've actually been able to shut it down to the point where, for the majority of users, they don't have a spam problem if they're taking advantage of the technology that exists."

Hamlin failed to explain that "taking advantage of the technology that exists" requires considerable time and money spent either by the users themselves or else by their e-mail provider. That doesn't constitute a problem solved -- that's a problem that continues to be a problem.

Is Gates' prediction on spam a bust?

the meat we love to hate

Yes, it's the meat we love to hate: SPAM!