Spam

l33tdawg: Much thanks to d4_sn0wm4n for the links.

Four of the nation's largest e-mail providers said on Wednesday they had sued hundreds of online marketers under a new federal law that outlaws the worst kinds of "spam" e-mail.

The lawsuits -- filed by EarthLink Inc. (ELNK.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Time Warner Inc. (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) unit America Online -- mark the first time the law has been tested since it took effect in January.

Major announcements at the RSA Conference here last week—in addition to recent anti-spam technology advances—mark the beginning of the end of spam as we know it.

At the conference, Microsoft Corp. introduced its CSRI (Coordinated Spam Reduction Initiative), and Sendmail Inc. announced broad support of SMTP identification schemes.

In a recent survey, 93% of respondents reported dissatisfaction with the large volume of unsolicited email (spam) they receive. [ref 1] The problem has grown to the point where nearly 50% of the world's email is spam [ref 2], yet only a few hundred groups are responsible. [ref 3] Many anti-spam solutions have been proposed and a few have been implemented. Unfortunately, these solutions do not prevent spam as much as they interfere with every-day email communications.

GERMAN MAG c't said it has evidence to suggest that virus writers are selling the addresses of computers infected with trojans to spammers.
The magazine says it managed to track down the authors of a computer virus named Randex and buy the IP addresses of infected machines. And, since one of the virus distributors was found in the UK, c't grassed the scoundrel up to Scotland Yard. Arrests follow, they say.

Next time you're looking for a culprit for all that junk mail flooding your inbox, have a glance in the mirror. Spammers are increasingly exploiting home computers with high-speed Internet connections into which they've cleverly burrowed.

E-mail security companies estimate that between one-third and two-thirds of unwanted messages are relayed unwittingly by PC owners who set up software incorrectly or fail to secure their machines.

If you thought your spam problems couldn't get any worse, check your mobile phone.

Cell phones are becoming the latest target of electronic junk mail, with a growing number of marketers using text messages to target subscribers.

Mobile phone spam has yet to approach anything like the volume of the e-mail variety, but the problem is growing in a region where the average user sends as many as 10 SMS (short message service) messages a day.

Instead of just cursing the steady assault of e-mail in their inboxes, a trio of artists have put unsolicited e-mail on parade. They've even found poetry in it.

"Reimagining the Ordovician Gothic: Fossils from the Golden Age of Spam" considers how future historians might see us if the only window into our culture they had was a vast collection of junk e-mail.

There are back lit flow charts, dioramas, a pile of pornography.

Do not use profanity. Be very careful when discussing financial or business affairs. Avoid any mention of your private parts. Do not offer any guarantees, or refer to checks that may or may not be in the mail.

Refrain from describing anything or anybody as "free." Abstain from the exuberant use of punctuation marks. Shun simple salutations like "Hello," and opt instead to craft a detailed, personalized subject line.

Oh, and don't ever use the word opt, particularly in conjunction with the words "in" or "out."

Virus authors are using spam e-mails containing a Trojan horse program to help spread the latest version of the Mimail e-mail worm.

The latest threat, which targets customers of eBay's PayPal online payment service, highlights a growing trend in which online criminals combine computer viruses, spam distribution techniques, Trojan horse programs and "phishing" scams to circumvent security technology and fool internet users, said Carole Theriault, security consultant at Sophos.

Sending unsolicited e-mails, or spam, in Britain in now a criminal offense under new laws that came into force on Thursday.

The ban is part of a European Union initiative to eradicate unwanted e-mails, with companies now needing to gain permission before sending junk e-mails or text messages.

From Thursday, senders of unwanted e-mails face fines under EU Privacy and Electronic Communications regulations unless the recipient has agreed in advance to accept the messages.