Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Blogs
    • Security Watch

    Tasting the Spam Omelet

    By
    Matthew Hines
    -
    November 5, 2008
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Now that Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is still a few weeks off, it’s time to sink our teeth into something different, or really something that’s rapidly becoming equally as familiar a taste.

      That’s spam of course.

      BitDefender’s Malware City security blog has launched a weekly spam analysis piece dubbed the “Spam Omelet” that looks at emerging trends and tactics in the unsolicited e-mail space.

      Volume 2, arriving today, marks some interesting tides from the vast depths of the ever-shifting sea of spam, including the growing use of the terms “Live” and “Spaces” in campaigns launched over the last several weeks.

      Malware City’s first observation is that spammers are trying to go LIVE, or specifically, they are targeting Microsoft’s LIVE Spaces platform to aim their campaigns at users of the online applications.

      “The first spam campaign tries to sell prescription drugs and sexual enhancement pills via blogs set up on Microsoft’s LIVE Spaces platform,” writes BitDefender researcher Bogdan Botezatu. “The latter spam campaign directs users to an infected Web page which purportedly hosts a video player but actually infects the user’s computer by triggering the download of a malicious application posing as a codec.”

      Botezatu notes that BitDefender analysts identified the involved file as being infected with the Trojan.HTML.ZLOB and Trojan.Agent.AGGZ attacks, a pair of programs that are able to drop other malicious files onto infected host systems.

      Users encountering the attacks are also presented with a fake unsubscribe link. However, clicking on it would only alert the spammer that the respective address is being used by a human, the researcher said.

      Spammers are also trying to hook users with many offers of “new opportunities” as the economy lags, according to the paper.

      “Psychology teaches that human subjects respond better to new things, and spammers are known as masters of deceit. No wonder that spammers frequently abuse the word in order to sell regular products and services,” said Botezatu.

      As such, BitDefender observed two “new” major spam campaigns centered on the word last week. The first wave advertised an online betting web-service called Poker Savy, which lures users with opportunities to win new gambling competitions, and eventually tries to saddle their machines with badware.

      In a second “new” campaign, a system of work at home job offers actually disguises a money mule scenario through which spammers are trying to convince people to serve as middlemen for their crimeware activities. In one such case, participants are asked to take delivery of ill-begotten goods and then re-ship them to others, according to the research.

      Also attempting to tap into the economic turmoil were scads of spam runs themed around debt reduction, the company said. In the last week alone, BitDefender said that it observed 37 unique variants of the model hitting people’s in-boxes.

      Product spam, in particular that which involves weight loss products and other pharmaceuticals was another widely-used theme in recent days.

      And while it has dipped ever-so-slightly in recent weeks, Viagra spam remains heavily in the mix, noted Botezatu.

      Much of the mdiecal and Viagra-related spam was affiliated with attempted delivery of the Rustock.C rootkit, he said.

      Mmmm. Spam. It just keeps on sizzling away.

      Matt Hines has been following the IT industry for over a decade as a reporter and blogger, and has been specifically focused on the security space since 2003, including a previous stint writing for eWeek and contributing to the Security Watch blog. Hines is currently employed as marketing communications manager at Core Security Technologies, a Boston-based maker of security testing software. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Core Security, and neither the company, nor its products and services will be actively discussed in the blog. Please send news, research or tips to [email protected].

      Matthew Hines

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×