Spam closes web security firm
A popular email security company said it would cease trading after being victimised by one of the world's biggest spammers. The Israeli-based firm Blue Security said it could no longer continue to operate in the face of an escalating threat to the internet from a malicious Russian spammer known only as PharmaMaster.
Recent attacks have crippled websites around the world, with a leading web host saying at the time that one had seemed "to have brought down half of Canada's network". The attacks on Blue began after it blocked a large number of spam messages to its users, returning the messages to the source en masse. This has been criticised as a vigilante tactic by some; others have applauded the company for hitting spammers where it hurts.
