Prosecuting Spamming Crackers?

lnixon asks: "As a recent Slashdot article mentioned, the latest trend in spamming is to use cracked Windows machines for sending spam and hosting spamvertised web sites, 'spacking', as Wired terms it. A couple of weeks ago, I started tracking one of these cracker rings down, carefully documenting the trail as I went.Mostly through luck, I actually found the originating server. This information should seriously put a crimp in their activities...if only I could get the law interested. I have tried to get the attention of CERT, of FBI and of my local police authorities, but nobody seems to be interested. Now, what should I do? Organize a posse?"

Comments

Here's how to get law enforcement's attention

[El]

You're mistake was referring to them as "spammers" instead of "terrorists". Isn't anybody who cracks a system now official considered a "digital terrorist"?

Re:Here's how to get law enforcement's attention

[mellon]

This is a funny idea, but filing a false report of a crime is itself a crime. So you really don't want to play this game. However, I agree that using the term "spammer" is a bad idea - you can just call it "for the purposes of distributing fraudulent messages," or some other accurate statement that doesn't mention the word "spammer."

However, getting law enforcement to take you seriously on something like this might be a real challenge anwyay - they don't know you from Jack, and so why should they trust you?

I don't mean you're not trustworthy - I'm just pointing out that there's no trust relationship there, and you're putting yourself forth as an investigator, not a crime victim. It will be very hard for you to get them to think of you as legitimate.

Alert the media

[splattertrousers]

Give the information to your local newspapers and TV news programs. The spotlight might spur the authorities into action, and the reporters will love you because you saved them from doing any pesky work for themselves.

Re:Post a URL on /.

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

You failed to click on the link that said documentation didn't you? Go there and you can see all the information this guy has been able to gather.

MS Piracy

[m0rph3us0]

You said their servers are distributing the MS Proxy Server. Why not let MS know about this, I'm sure they'd fire off a memo to the hosting companies letting them know that the sites are hosting pirated software.

Congresscritters

[linuxwrangler]

Contact the congresscritters for your local district. They certainly know that any effort to fight spam will look good come re-election and they have the power to "make a couple calls".

Put it on Paper

[Detritus]

Write up a report, print it out and mail it to the appropriate agencies.

Bureaucrats hate paper trails. It's very easy to blow off a phone call. A written report has to be handled more carefully.