Microsoft brings down world's biggest spam network !

A Microsoft lawsuit, unsealed earlier today, is responsible for causing government raids last Wednesday that lead to the downfall of the world's biggest spam network, Rustock. Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit used information gained in its 2010 takedown of the Waledac botnet to work with the U.S...

Rustock Botnet: Dead Or Just Reloading?

Reports indicate that the massive drop in spam levels are linked to the sudden disappearance of the Rustock botnet. However, recent history suggests the interruption may only be temporary. Spamhaus’s Composite Spam Blocklist CBL claims that dozens of Rustock’s internet servers, which for years ha...

Spam Botnets Are Declining, But Likely Not For Long

The size and volume of spam botnets are down over the last year, and much of this can be attributed to the effectiveness of IP-based blacklists. However, this defense method is no panacea as scammers have found new methods like reputation hijacking to circumvent these roadblocks, and bots continu...

After A Lull, Botnets Back In Business

After a lull in the fourth quarter of 2010, spam appears to be back in full force, according to reports from both Websense, Commtouch and Symantec Corp.Spam volume was up 45% in the first half of January after diving in Q4 according to a Commtouch spam report. Reports show the recently dormant...

Spam Volume Recovers After Holiday Break

The amount of spam hitting users’ inboxes fell off a cliff in late December, with many security experts attributing the decline to the sudden disappearance of the Rustock botnet and other networks from the spam business. But the level of spam has begun to gain back some of the ground it lost toda...

Spam Volume Is Way Down…But Why?

The volume of spam e-mail is down…way down. That’s the good news. But experts aren’t exactly sure what’s caused the precipitous drop in spam e-mail or how long it will last. As Brian Krebs reports on his blog, mail security firm M86 is seeing a 40% decline in spam volume since the beginning of...