Spammers 'Gearing Up' Botnets For Holiday Rush 30
chicksdaddy writes "Spam — there's less of it, but it's much nastier, according to the latest statistics from Google's Postini e-mail security service. According to a post on Google's Enterprise blog, the viral content of spam e-mail (both malicious links and attachments) was up 111% from the same quarter in 2009, even as spam volume overall dropped 24%. The Summertime malware push may be evidence of a push to pump up bot networks in advance of the busy holiday online shopping season, according to Google researchers."
Re: (Score:1, Funny)
and what is this Fall? something you do when you trip ?
or is this an "American" holiday botnet story ?
Excuse me, sir. Why do you put American in quotes? Are you implying that we are not really here, nor truly American?
Re:what holiday ? (Score:4, Funny)
or is this an "American" holiday botnet story ?
Yes, probably. Slashdot is American so it stands to reason that there would be an American bias.
American Thanksgiving is next month and it's about as big as Christmas down there. After that, you have Black Friday [wikipedia.org]. A Wal-Mart employee got trampled by frenzied deal-seekers on Black Friday in 2008 so I think it's safe to count it as part of the holiday rush. After that, Christmas is only a hop, skip and a jump away. Soon people will be filling the malls looking for cheap crap to put under their trees. Sears has already started mailing their catalogs so I'm not surprised spammers are already ramping things up too. Nothing says "merry Christmas" like v1agra, I guess.
Re: (Score:2)
you have Black Friday [wikipedia.org]. A Wal-Mart employee got trampled by frenzied deal-seekers on Black Friday in 2008 so I think it's safe to count it as part of the holiday rush.
It's more of a holiday raid or a Wal-Mart crawl . Gotta got the leet loot!
Most spam actually in January (Score:1, Offtopic)
I get most spam in January, when some group sends me snail telling me I have to give them lots of my money, and then this is followed up by emails from special "services" that tell me they can help pay the extortion for only $49.99 or some bullshit.
Re: (Score:2)
I get most spam in January, when some group sends me snail telling me I have to give them lots of my money, and then this is followed up by emails from special "services" that tell me they can help pay the extortion for only $49.99 or some bullshit.
Snarky tax humor never gets old, does it?
When will people learn? (Score:4, Insightful)
Spammers wouldn't exist if people didn't fall for their trickery. Not necessarily trying to play "blame the victim", but spam wouldn't exist if people take a few seconds and actually think things through.
Just saying.
Re:When will people learn? (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh it's no more their fault than it is anyone else's.
We're always going on about how they need to install a good antivirus and get their system checked out - so when the popup offers them a good antivirus and its "checking their system out" for free - of course they're going to click.
Re: (Score:1, Insightful)
The answer is: never. They never will.
PC viruses have been around since at least the early 1980's, and quite probably even the 70's, and people are *still* installing them in 2010 because they want to see the cute dancing bear or see what's in "hot_naked_chicks.jpg.exe".
If, in 30+ years people haven't learned that these things are a bad idea, they're never going to. Ever.
I agree with you, it wouldn't be a problem if people engaged more than 4 of their neurons towards the end of not propagating spam and vi
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Are you sure it is the recipients that are falling for the trickery?
I don't have anything to back it up, but I think the people purchasing spamming services are now the ones driving much of it.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Blaming the victim still doesn't let the spammers off the hook though.
They're still responsible for giving the intertubes stress, hijacking people's computers, etc etc etc.
And they did have enough electronic firepower to totally obliterate Blue Security.
Re: (Score:2)
In the past, I used to get spam which appeared to be from a well know URL, but when I would hover the cursor over the link without clic
Re: (Score:2)
Probably not, actually. Just that some idiot with money asked about marketing services, handed over the cash, and walked away. I think
Re: (Score:2)
A friend of mine sent me an e-mail a few days ago that October is a very special month since it has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. It happens once in 875 years. If I send the mail to 8 people I will be rich, Rich, RICH!
Do you think I didn't try to explain her that every time you have a month with 31 days that starts on Friday, this shit happens? Don't you think I went to the calendar and showed her 3 times in the last 4 years where it happened?
Do you think it changed anything?
People have always and w
Optimistic much? (Score:2)
I seriously doubt this holiday shopping season will be "busy".
Re: (Score:2)
...Why do you doubt that?
I feel like I'm stumbling inside my head as I'm trying to figure out why you wouldn't think this holidy shopping season will be busy. It's been busy every year for as long as I can remember, why wouldn't this year be?
Re: (Score:2)
I think hes implying the recession is going to hurt sales. It might not be quite as busy as it has in the past, but ive no doubt in my mind that it will still be a busy season.
Re: (Score:2)
Ever worked retail? It's *always* busy, no matter what, during the "holiday shopping season." Psychology alone ensures it, but throw societal and marketing issues on top, and it pretty much would take the apocalypse for it to not be busy.
Who would've thought... (Score:2)
...that spam was cyclical?
All I want... (Score:4, Funny)
All I want for Christmas
is my own bot net
my own bot net
see my own bot net.
Social Darwinism at work (Score:2)
So the primary targets are those who actually care about cult of celebrity and those who never read anything about protecting yourself online, interesting.
Re: (Score:2)
So the primary targets are those who actually care about cult of celebrity and those who never read anything about protecting yourself online, interesting.
I don't know about you, but I was fascinated to learn that Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tiger Woods, Tom Cruise, Bon Jovi and a numerous other such people had all died on the exact same day in some bizarre celebrity massacre.
(And no, I didn't open any of them.)
Only 16 comments 90 minutes in = solved? (Score:1, Redundant)
2002 called - it wants its "help me deal with spam" article back.
With only 16 comments in 90 minutes my thought is that your average Slashdot reader already has his/her spam problem solved. It's really a non-issue for most of us; let's get some real news for nerds here instead please.
11/9 (Score:2)