| Zombie Computers Clog the Web with Spam
Email inboxes are being clogged with what seems like a huge increase in unwanted spam messages. Consumers may wonder where all these messages could be coming from. In truth, they most likely are coming from other consumers' computers -- maybe even their own. "Many computer users do not realize that hackers are using their machines to send bulk e-mails by the millions," said Lydia Parnes, Director of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission. Story continues below video When a hacker hijacks a PC, it becomes what is known as a "zombie computer," meaning it operates at the will of the hacker, who assumes control by downloading a malicious code. The scope of the problem was illustrated in late 2005 when Microsoft engineers, working in a lab, set out to create their own zombie computer.
Can't Stop This
(AXcess News) New York - In recent months, StockPatrol.com has published a series of articles focusing on "spam" emails that promote obscure penny stocks. Most of these spams can be seen for what they are - transparent efforts, by not-so-transparent individuals, to manipulate the market for a stock. The people behind these schemes do not reveal themselves or their true purpose. They prey on naivet and greed. They rely upon volume, sending out hundreds of thousands - in some cases millions - of emails in search of a few gullible investors. The individuals who engineer these schemes, and those who implement them, are truly masters of the Internet, if not the universe. They have developed or hired the requisite technical skills, software, and computer capacity to distribute these spam messages around the world.
Fix your Windows spam situation with Spam Shield 4.0
PCSecurityShield announces the release of Spam Shield 4.0 anti-spam product for Outlook and Outlook Express that stops spam in its tracks -- and takes the fear out of e-mail. In its latest release, Spam Shield 4.0 is the direct result of intensive research, testing, and discussion by the PCSecurityShield team with computer users everywhere, in order to improve, define and evolve the software's definition of what constitutes spam. Thanks to this research and communication, the latest release of Spam Shield 4.0 brings more direct firepower against potential spammers than ever before. The software's easy customization, seamless integration with most e-mail clients, and quick results mean that users across the globe can finally start to enjoy getting e-mail again. Spam Shield 4.0's Product Features: * Approval-based e-mail management.
Symantec: Spammers Forge Phony Newsletters to Fool Filters
It seems that spammers have a new tactic in their war to get their unwanted... uhhh... content through our spam filters: forged newsletters. What they're doing is sending messages that look like legitimate newsletters. Nasty. Examples seen so far appear to be from well-known brands such as 1-800-Flowers, Kohl, U.S. Airways, and "a fantasy football league." I've not seen any in my overflowing spam traps -- credit for discovering the phony newsletters goes to Symantec. I guess it takes a large organization, with 24x7, follow-the-sun labs to really keep on top of new developments in spam tactics. It's the speed of identifying these sort of early indications that separates the men from the boys, as it were. For more detail, see my fuller analysis at richij.com.
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