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Hidden Messages in Spam

Posted by michael on from the enlarge-your-inbox-now dept.

randomwalker writes "There was an extremely interesting presentation at the Blackhat Windows Security Conference in January by Dr Curtis Kret entitled Nobody's Anonymous. In his presentation he showed how information about spammers can be determined. In addition he showed that some spam is being used as a covert communication channel. This presentation demonstrates how to apply data forensics to spam in order to identify the sender of specific spam messages. Some senders can be identified by name, while others can be distinguished by attributes such as preferences, nationality, religion, and even left-handedness. Four spam categories are provided that classify spam by function, including List Makers, Scams, and Covert Communication channels. The examples provided include full-disclosure case studies: a phishing gang that targets bank customers with malware and impersonations, and an IRC group that uses spam as a covert communication channel."

8 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Imagine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    A beowolf cluster of one of these!

  2. Miniature Twin Towers by EyesOfNostradamus · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    A giant egg shell near two miniature twin towers. And that on Eric's 23rd birthday! How more foolhardly can you get?

  3. Colonel... by shadowcabbit · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I was a North American Fall Webworm in my past life. Those were the good old days... What were you in your former life? That reminds me, I saw Gubayama the other day in Shibomnigee. He said to give you his best. Raiden, something happened to me last Thursday when I was driving home. I had a couple of miles to go -- I looked up and saw a glowing orange object in the sky, to the east! It was moving very irregularly... suddenly there was intense light all around me -- and when I came to, I was home. What do you think happened to me? I hear it's amazing when the famous purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on Hara-Kiri Rock. I need scissors! 61!

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    "Why Subscribe?" Good question...
  4. Re:Hidden food value in spam? by bhima · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Nope! it just says "cranberry sauce"

    --
    Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
  5. Re:Hidden food value in spam? by pe1rxq · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    But what does 'ecuas yrrebnarc' mean?

    Jeroen

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    Secure messaging: http://quickmsg.vreeken.net/
  6. Re:Beat the Slashdot Spam Filter! by OzPeter · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Girlfriend?????

    You must be new here ...

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    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  7. Re:Hidden food value in spam? by yulek · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    sounds like cthulhu to me... which of course means you're already dead and The Old Ones are coming to get me shortly.

    ciao... :(

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    in this age of communication i'm just not getting through
  8. Re:Hidden food value in spam? by corbettw · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ah, everyone knows playing sounds backwards has no effect.

    --
    God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.