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If you notice less spam in your e-mail inbox today, you can thank a coalition of cybersecurity researchers who have made it their mission to sew up spam-based “botnets” on the Web. Earlier this week, HostExploit.com gave a Washington Post reporter information about a hosting company, McColo, that was allegedly providing command-and-control capabilities for a spam botnet.
The Federal Trade Commission has essentially shut down the largest spam operation in the world, freezing the assets of two of its accused ringleaders. Lance Atkinson, a New Zealand citizen living in Australia, and Jody Smith of Texas, deceptively marketed a variety of products through spam messages, including a male-enhancement pill, prescription drugs, and a weight-loss pill.
Jeremy Jaynes — said to be one of the world’s most prolific spammers — had his nine-year jail sentence vacated after the Virginia state Supreme Court ruled that the law under which he was prosecuted violated the First Amendment. It did not adequately differentiate between commercial and noncommercial speech, the Court found.
With the political election season ramping up, spammers are again using news headlines about the candidates to saturate in-boxes. Researchers have uncovered two new spam clusters with subject lines relating to Barack Obama. At certain points, one of these spam runs accounted for up to 18 percent of all spam, according to MessageLabs.