Spamhaus Accuses MCI of Hosting Spam Gangs
One of the world's largest Internet providers is hosting illegal spam operations and making an estimated $5 million a year to keep those operations running, according to a report published by the anti-spam group Spamhaus Project Friday.
The non-profit organization, which tracks spam and provides lists of spammers, said it has repeatedly notified MCI (Quote, Chart) that it is helping to host 187 known "spam gangs" around the world, and that it has become known as top spam haven in the world.
The organization's report also claimed that two of the most popular spamware applications, Send-Safe.com and Direct Mail Sender (DMS), have been traced to the SoBig virus and its variants, which the organization estimates infect 80,000 - 100,000 new PCs every week.
The SoBig virus and its variants are considered among the most damaging viruses after they slowed network traffic and crashed e-mail servers across the Internet in 2003.
Send-Safe.com is listed as an MCI customer on the Spamhaus Block List (SBL) advisory service, although it should be noted that MCI offers a wholesale service, which means smaller ISPs can purchase from the carrier and pass along services.
MCI defended itself against the report, saying it isn't in a position to censor content providers.
