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Spammers on the Run
ericald writes "An interesting
update from Blue Security, the group that introduces the Blue Frog initiative to fight spam, claims that during the past few days at least one spammer had frequently deleted domains he owned as a result of their system.
In another update in their blog
they report they have already recruited over 21,000 users.
It's about time spammers start feeling the heat! I'm just surprised they show results so soon."
Spammers must realize by now they run an awful risk by having their true identities tracked down and then posted for punishment. It won't be long until search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) start compiling results for them such as, "Mr/ Mrs X Illegally spammed millions of people." Employers certainly will rethink hiring someone with such tainted credentials. It just isn't worth it nowadays to harass people with unwanted/ unwarranted emails. This is a resounding wake-up call for these cretins to rethink their ill-fated profession.
"Simplify, simplify, simplify!" Thoreau
I'm amazed at Blue Security's success. They've gotten a few spammers to shut down a few domains.
The odd thing is, I'm still receiving as much spam as I've always received. No matter how many tens of thousands of users they sign up for this process, I fear this is going to be a very small drop in a very large bucket.
I'm a big tall mofo.
I actually sat through a Flash animation because I was wondering what the heck they did. And... I still don't know.
I liked the mention of the domain registrar taking up a zero-tolerance policy after the spammer shut down their domain. I'm starting to think that with more people around the world getting online, more people around the world are getting sick of spam. This could help us eliminate some of those off-shore servers that spammers love to hide behind.
;)
Give everyone in the world email for a week and then see all the government action we desperately crave
Perfecting Discordia
www.stevenvansickle.com
Sue/fine/arrest/jail spammers? They'll move abroad where we can't find them.
Get a legal framework that will be enforced in all the countries connected to the Internet? Good fscking luck.
I just hit the "join beta" link and didn't fill out the form, on the page you signup I see:
System Requirement
Windows 2000/2003/XP
Ok so I'm out, last windows I read email on was Win95 or maybe Win98, some bullshit virus or another screwed me over, I ain't "done email" on Windows of any type since. Oddly enough, I haven't had any viruses, spyware, adware, or malware since then either.
So while I applaud efforts to reduce spam, efforts that requre Windows seems silly at best and are efforts I can't join in on. Even my wife no longer reads email on Windows, the last time her Windows PC slowed to a crawl due to spyware instead of spending 3 or 4 hours googling for the latest cleaners and finding out what new and not at all entertaining spyware she had, I said "fuck this' gave her my new and as yet unpacked Mac Mini and she hasn't had any spyware problems since. Ripped her PC apart and installed Linux on it to replace my laptop as my main "work" pc.
--- www.f-theocean.com
Personally I think the "worst kind" of vigilante approach would be getting the spammers home addresses and savagely beating them... or killing them. I dont think DDOSing some spammer pricks domain is that bad if you compare what could happen to these people.
"I am a kernel in the linux army"
I'm sure all the Chinese, Polish, and Russian spammers are shaking in their boots. For them, there will never be a solution other than IP block banning and similar measures. If you have the time and energy to waste on "dealing" with this group, more power to you, but I'm done even thinking about them.
"Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
Third:
floods the internet backbones with even more traffic. Good or bad
Isn't that spelled ``best''?
Seriously, the grandparent post refered to this as a DDOS. If the spammer sends me an email, he's certainly got no right to complain if he gets one back. If he gets enough back to shut down his website, well, he shouldn't have sent so much spam, should he? My understanding is that Blue Frog tries to send an unsubscribe message for every spammed address (their website is slashdotted)? If so, the spammers have already announced their willingness to get that message, and it is obviously legal.
See what I've been reading.
I dont recall saying I advocate this type of action at all but considering people have been beaten or killed for less I could see this being something that may happen.
,they are surrounded at all times by security or bodyguards (well maybe a paranoid few are) they are average joes for the most part how hard would it be to stalk one of these people beat them down and get away with it.
Spammers arent unreachable targets either
"I am a kernel in the linux army"
So wait.
Every single person who responds to spam replies to it, and it is considered a DDOS?
Hmmm, if every time I got an advertisement in the mail I drove down to the store to complain there wouldn't be anything wrong with it.
Same with the Lycos thing. I don't consider it a DDOS. I consider it responding to an advertisement.
---- Watch out for snakes!
LOL!
Stands to reason that you got modded Troll. I mean, what kind of person stands in front of an angry lynch mob and says "now now, don't you think a few hours of community service would be more appropriate?".
I understand your reasonable view. Killing someone for spam is not an alternative. But this is not the time or place.
(Grabs pitchfork and torch again and resumes up and down motion).
"Yeah, burn the spammers, burn em slowly!"
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Blue Frog is effective because it consumes spammer's resources -- it raises the costs of being a spammer. Spam filtering does not reduce spammer's profits in that the same people that filter spam were never likely to visit the spam site and purchase. Filtering doesn't change spammer's revenues or costs.
In contrast, a bot that visits a spammer's site consumes the spammer's valuable resources in far greater amounts that is consumed by the original spam e-mail (spam emails often being under 10kB and sent via low-cost zombies vs. 50kB or 100kB for most web pages begin hosted on the spammer's e-commerce site).
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
One reply to a recieved spam is a deliberate attack now? I think that if you send out two billion e-mails, the only person making an attack on your web server is you.
...it's really a sad day for America when we require a goddamn ACT OF CONGRESS to make our DVD players work properly. ~
Did you take a look at the Blue Security site and see how their technology works? The spammers are not getting spammed in return...the Blue Frog program essentially sends an automated "Opt Out" to the spammers; if they fail to respond and the recipient continues to receive mail from that spammer then Blue Frog submits complaints to the MERCHANT SITE.
I would hardly call any of this vigilantism. One spam - one opt-out request. Continue to ignore those requests? Complaint to the merchant paying the spammer to spam.
Sounds like a great solution. I wish they made a linux client.
Some people would say that the "government involvement" has already had a negative effect.
I kneow SPAM is a huge problem world wide. However i dont get why people dont learn from thier mistakes. In the late 90's I used to have tons of SPAM arriving in my inbox. Since then i now keep three email addresses; one for personal contact, one for doing online transactions and one for filling out online forms (like contests & website registration). Since then i have had no SPAM in my 2 main accounts and very little (cause im very picky about the places i register) in the account i do give out the address to. Im glad that there are businesses and government efforts to combat SPAM but some of the responsibilty can still be layed on the shoulders of the fools who continue to give out their address to every ipod give-a-way website they see. Come on people, wise up. Help these do-gooders help you!
Don't ya hate it when the correct spelling of your favorite screen name is taken?
i used to send a newsletter to roughly 500 addresses, some of which were opt-in and some of which were scavenged by other methods. As the merchant, I always took the "take
So you're a spammer. End of conversation. FOAD.