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Paid To Spam

Lathiat writes "It seems that spammers have taken a new distributed approach to sending spam, and you get paid for it. Virtual MDA will pay you $1 per CPU hour their program is running to relay spam around the world. Obviously this is not something you should do, most users are all to familiar with the atrocity of sorting through up to hundreds of spams a day just to find one real email, Although it has been previously reported that some users love spam, I for one don't. Is there any way end users can fight back against people like this?" At $1/hour, this sounds like a low-gain way to infuriate both your friends and perfect strangers.

30 of 629 comments (clear)

  1. Sounds like a bad idea by thebra · · Score: 5, Funny

    and plus I'm still waiting for my check from All-Advantage!

  2. We've already struck back... by Phil+John · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...ph33r the /. effect ;o)

    --
    I am NaN
  3. UBE/UCE Liability Issues? by aksansai · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does that mean that for a buck an hour, you also get your own set of legal issues if some ISP, like AOL, decides to come after you for spamming their customers?

    --
    Ayup
  4. Re:Fight back! by The_Mr_Flibble · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok I've got a bunch of old 386's in the attic and I'm pretty sure that I can lock down my bandwidth down to about 1 bit an hour for a seperate lan.

  5. Step 2 finally revealed! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    1)install VirtualMDA

    2) At a dollar every hour, I think I'll go check it out, and let iptables limit my outgoing bandwidth, or even better, drop everything with outgoing tcp/25.

    3)PROFIT!!!

  6. Re:Thousands per year by gowen · · Score: 5, Funny
    Imagine all the toys that could be bought with it.
    Forget that, Imagine how much I'll be able to extend my penis...
    --
    Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
  7. Profit by tcdk · · Score: 2, Funny

    1. Install on all computers at work.
    2. Quit.
    3. Profit.

    (not that it should take a new sysadm long to notice...)

    --
    TC - My Photos..
  8. Re:$1/hour by SilkBD · · Score: 2, Funny
    I'd feel extremely bad doing this... I'd have to spend more time in the Carribean on my Yaht to feel better about it.

    I'm sure that a daily massage by beautiful exotic woman would also help me feel better about it.

    *gulps*

    --
    00101010
  9. $1/CPU hour? Sure! by Warpedcow · · Score: 4, Funny
    Virtual MDA will pay you $1 per CPU hour their program is running to relay spam around the world.

    Sure I'll run it. I'll also setup a firewall so that this program can't send any actual data. After all, you're getting paid per CPU hour and not per email actually sent. Who cares if the program sits there and spins the cpu trying to send and resend it's first email message? Sounds like easy money to me! ;)

    --
    moo
  10. Re:Timmy the Wet Blanket by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 1, Funny
    It looks like you prepared two posts and accidentally posted both at once? There's a funny post. And there's an informative post after the 'tough guy' part
    I did. It's still early here in Utah, so I'm still quite rather drunk and I botched my posting script.

    Thanks for pointing this out.

  11. Pay people to find spammers by bersl2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    and beat the crap out of them.

    That will end the spamming quickly.

  12. Licensing Fees by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    It seems that spammers have taken a new distributed approach to sending spam, in which you the end user gets paid. Virtual MDA contains secret patented SCO code which is in breach of our interlectual property contracts.
    To avoid legal action SCO will provide you with a license to use our technology from as little as $1 per CPU hour if you buy now. SCO will be taking legal action against bulk senders who have not purchased a license within 90 days.

  13. Re:Thousands per year by mirko · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, I'd go for these 87xx$ : I'd just run their spam program on a very very old computer which'd perform only one mail per day (and which'd only resolve adresses within my own intranet so that it would not bother many people).

    --
    Trolling using another account since 2005.
  14. Ah yes by Dark+Lord+Seth · · Score: 2, Funny

    Of course, considering spammers are such honest and legitimate business people, they will pay me fairly for the amount of CPU time I have given them. I mean, people who spam do not have questionable business models and serve as role models for entrepeneurs of all levels.

    Excuse me, the nurse says it's time for my medication again. I need my happy fun pills!

  15. Re:CPU hour, not normal hour by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Might be time to pull some old Mac Classics and SPARCStation 1's out of the closet.

  16. Re:$1/hour by Cobralisk · · Score: 2, Funny

    You only have 1 CPU laying around your basement?

    --
    Waiting for ad.doubleclick.net...
  17. My usual response: by Luckboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Time to give Spam hunters some extra tools. Trace, Ping, Whois, Frequent Flier Miles, Louisville Slugger.

  18. Wow! What a deal!! by DrDebug · · Score: 2, Funny

    For the great introductory price of only ONE DOLLAR per CPU HOUR, I can have friends and enemies alike want to COME TO MY HOUSE and SMASH MY COMPUTER to bits with SLEDGEHAMMERS!!

    What can be the downside to that?

    Sarcasm mode off.

  19. Both your friends? by carlos_benj · · Score: 5, Funny

    At $1/hour, this sounds like a low-gain way to infuriate both your friends and perfect strangers.

    Hey, how'd you know I only have two friends...?

    --

    --

    As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.

  20. umm ... by jacobm · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is there any way end users can fight back against people like this?

    You could've started by not advertising their product for free on the front page of Slashdot ...

    --
    -jacob
  21. Re:$1/hour by Anonym0us+Cow+Herd · · Score: 4, Funny

    $1 per CPU hour. But nobody said anything about how fast that CPU needs to be.

    How about a beowulf cluster of x286's?

    Fifty old slow cpu's and you're making $50/hour.

    Oh, and did I mention that my 50 old x286 boxes all share a single dial up line?

    On a 300 baud modem?

    --
    The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
  22. Note to self... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Note to self: Kill allm idiots who us word "boxen".

  23. If I overclock... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I can make $1 in 30 minutes!!!

    Wooo hoo!!

  24. Re:$1/hour by STrinity · · Score: 3, Funny

    $1/CPU hour? That's outrageous! Not only are spammers clogging servers, but they pay computers sweat-shop wages! Fight back. Demand they pay your computer minimum wage.

    --
    Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
  25. This give me a GREAT idea by SilentReproach · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's all sign up for it, for the sole purpose of finding out who owns the originating mailservers! Then we can ddos them, and blackhole 'em, and report 'em, and order pizzas for them...

    --
    Religion is the opium of the people. Evolution is the opium of scientists.
  26. Re:Yes, 386 by radiophonic · · Score: 2, Funny

    Damn! I wish Gentoo would hurry up and build on this thing so I can start making $$$ !

    --
    Whenever you read this sig someone's refrigerator light turns on.
  27. I got paid! by Dog135 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I got paid! No, really, I got lots of money from them! I got rich, and I did it quick! Now go sign up and tell them luser#29766628 sent you!

    While you're at it, don't forget to make your order for viagralax, the only viagra alternative that's also a laxative. I'm not only a peddler, I'm also a satisfied customer!

    (As if you could really trust someone who said they got paid.)

    --
    "That's so plausible, I can't believe it!" - Leela
  28. I have a suggestion for the next time you're in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    this state of affairs.
    >I was...in danger of losing a place to live
    >...I would sign up for this in a heartbeat

    Cut the line cord off an appliance.
    Strip each free end.
    When you have enough bare copper, wrap 1 end around each wrist.
    Plug the cord into an outlet.

    The planet has enough mercenaries.

    gewg_

  29. Sounds like fun . . . by Java+Ape · · Score: 2, Funny
    OK, lets all sell them time on our computers. I've got seven CPU's running in my basement, most of which are idle far too often. If they can get 70% CPU utilization I'll make $4.90 an hour, which ought to offset the electrical bill.

    However, since that $4.90/hour won't even come close to covering the potential bandwidth charges they'd accumulate, it seems only prudent that I configure a mail filter to route outbound messages to /dev/null . . .

  30. Memo from VirtualMDA by CristalShandaLear · · Score: 2, Funny

    From: Prez
    TO: Logistics Staff
    RE: TEST PHASE/ FRAUD

    Finding morons who think they'll get away with spamming their family, friends, and neighbors is no problem.

    Issue: those who will find a way around the system with successful results that we haven't even thought of yet. Test phase provided some unexpected results in regards to fraud and you numbskulls better way to conteract this.

    Come up with something fast!

    Prez

    To: Prez
    From: Logistics
    RE: TEST PHASE/ FRAUD

    We have assmebled a special IT team working on this issue. Our team will be of no additional cost to our company. They are a volunteer, international team, working 24/7, for the sheer delight of exploring our new brand of technology. What's more, with minimal information, they will soon provide us with enough ground level feedback to foresee any possible avenues of fraud and/or minimize any such activity. Some of them will even sign up or the service themselves just to "test" it.

    The situation is under control sir.

    *giggle from the IT team over the memo after they hit SEND*

    The slashdot folk will find out about us soon enough. They'll figure out all the possible ways anyone could possibly think of for fraud, and post their answers, theories, and countless possibilities for us to go over whenever we get a sec. Let's go to lunch! :)